GFB Monument Anniversary Tribute on June 3

Nisei veterans at the 2016 GFB Monument ceremony. (J.K. YAMAMOTO/Rafu Shimpo)

On the first Saturday of June, Go For Broke National Education Center hosts an anniversary tribute at the Go For Broke Monument that is open to the public.

The center commemorates the anniversary of the monument’s dedication and holds a formal program to honor the brave men and women whose names are etched into the granite.

This year’s event will be held on June 3 from 10 to 11 a.m. The monument is located at 160 N. Central Ave. in Little Tokyo, off Alameda and Temple, near MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) and JANM (Japanese American National Museum).

Beautiful New Guinea impatiens potted plants will be placed around the monument, each with the name of a veteran and his donor patron. At the conclusion of the program, donors may pick up their potted plants. Proceeds go toward the maintenance and upkeep of the monument, including granite polishing, landscaping, painting, monthly security system fees, and other general repairs.

The Monument Opportunity Drawing will take place at the tribute. Tickets are $10 each, Winners need not be present to win. The grand prize is an eight-day Viking river cruise for two; second prize is a five-night stay for two in Waikiki at the Aqua Palms Waikiki, 80,000 Hawaian Airlines miles, and golf for two with GFBNEC Chair Stephen Kagawa at Waialae Country Club; third prize is $1,200 cash; fourth prize is dinner for four at Maison Akira in Pasadena.

To request tickets, contact Peggy Renke at (310) 222-5709 or peggy@goforbroke.org. Proceeds benefit educational programs focused on the legacy of the Japanese American World War II veterans.

Dedicated in 1999, the black monument is engraved with the names of more than 16,000 Japanese American men and women who served during the war, including the Nisei soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service, 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, 232nd Combat Engineer Company, and 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion.

For more information, visit www.goforbroke.org.

The Go For Broke Monument was dedicated in 1999.