Go For Broke Monument 20th Anniversary Tribute on Saturday

Construction of the Go For Broke Monument in March 1999.

The Go For Broke National Education Center will host an anniversary tribute at the Go For Broke Monument, 160 N. Central Ave. (near Temple and Alameda streets) in Little Tokyo, on Saturday, June 8, from 10 to 11 a.m.

Each year, the center commemorates the anniversary of the monument’s dedication and holds a formal tribute to honor the brave men and women whose names are etched into the black granite.

Since its dedication in 1999, the Go For Broke Monument has served as a powerful reminder of the challenges the Japanese American soldiers of World War II confronted and of sacrifices they made for their loved ones and their country.

The monument is engraved with the names of more than 16,000 Japanese Americans, including the soldiers who served in these military units in the European, Pacific, and China-Burma-India theaters: 100th Infantry Battalion (separate), 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service, 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, 232nd Combat Engineer Company, 1399 Engineer Construction Battalion.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by Aratani Foundation and Carelife Home Care.

Two veterans will be honored: Kenjiro (Ken) Akune, Military Intelligence Service, and Tokuji (Toke) Yoshihashi, 100th Infantry Battalion. The keynote speaker is Chip Mamiya of the GFBNEC Board of Directors.

For more information, call (310) 328-0907 or visit www.goforbroke.org.