Ben Kuroki: Beyond 58 Missions

Luke Vandament Senior, Individual Website

I conducted my research by first discussing possible topics that relate to this years theme of Rights and Responsibilities in History with my teacher. We decided that Nisei WWII gunner Ben Kuroki was a strong topic. I collaborated with my schools librarian to get books through the inner library loan system. I had made a website for last years competition on the Tuskegee Airmen and wanted to deepen my knowledge of WWII. As I furthered my research, it was clear that Ben Kuroki was stripped of his rights when he wanted to serve his country during World War II. I also found that Japanese Americans living on the West coast were also deprived of their rights when the U.S. government ordered them to internment camps. I read sections of books I received through the inner library loan system and ones in my teachers library. I watched The Most Honorable Son, a movie about Kurokis trials before during and after WWII. I also found numerous websites that offered background information and referenced databases that led me to photographs that documented life in internment camps. In addition, I researched the 442nd and Daniel Inouye to discover how other Japanese-Americans were mistreated after Executive Order 9066 was issued. The next step in the process was to choose my presentation category. I chose my category by making a chart of my abilities on all the possible categories for competition. I chose the website category because I have very good technical skills. Last year I enjoyed the process of creating website. I believe that I can convey this years theme best by creating a website. I considered what would be the best way to display the photos that I saved about internment and Ben Kurokis experience. Additionally, I can embed other audiovisual resources in a website. My project relates to the theme in two ways. Paranoia after the bombing of Pearl Harbor resulted in loss of rights for Issei and Nisei living on the West coast. They were involuntarily relocated to internment camps where armed guards literally towered over them. Additionally, Ben Kuroki had to fight like hell to fight for the right to serve his own country. His courageous fight to responsibly serve a nation that deprived him and his people of basic rights reminds us of the delicate balance between liberty and security.