On the recordDecember 15, 2022
I am honored to be here with Senator Heinrich to recognize a friend, a mentor, and a true American hero. I rise today to honor and pay my respects to a great American hero and friend we recently lost. Hiroshi ``Hershey'' Miyamura was born on October 6, 1925, to Yaichi and Tori Miyamura in Gallup, NM. In growing up in a household of seven children, Hershey's parents left their homeland of Japan to settle in New Mexico in the hopes of creating a better life for their children. While he never thought of himself as a serious student, Mom and Dad hoped he would be. As a child, Hershey's mind was otherwise occupied with tales of Hopalong Cassidy riding on his steed--the larger-than- life-hero who saves the day. He later remarked in life that he always liked ``the good guys'' on and off the big screen. This is why it did not surprise anyone when Hershey's determined perseverance to join the U.S. Army finally became a reality. This dream became possible when the Federal Government created a battalion of mostly Japanese Americans during the Second World War. In a time when prejudice toward Japanese Americans was at an alltime high, Hershey remained firm in his conviction that he would serve under the flag and country his parents worked so hard to make their home, refusing to let tolerance extinguish his desire to serve our Nation at the highest level.…
