<Begin Segment 14>

TI: Going back to the VVV, you're quite knowledgeable about their history. Why don't you talk a little bit about why you're so knowledgeable and some of things that you've done to, in particular I'm thinking of the University of Hawaii sculpture there. Why don't you talk a little bit about that project?

BT: Okay. Back in 1990 I think, there was, I think the Fifteenth Annual National AJA Convention over in Kona. And we had a good group that turned out from our chapter. And I got to talking to some of the VVV boys that served with us. We had five of them in our Headquarters, Second Battalion. And I said, "What you folks did was remarkable", that "there should be some special honor given to you folks." And the VVV boys says, "Oh, forget it. Who cares? Hey, we're not going to pat ourselves on the back," which is a trait of local Nisei. You don't pat yourself on the back.

So I kept thinking about that. And because I've done lot of work at the legislature, having been in government, I wrote a letter to the legislators asking them that some honor should be given to the Varsity Victory Volunteers by the University of Hawaii. And it started the ball rolling. And the university themselves, this is over about fifty years ago, said, "Gee, we didn't know about this." And they enthusiastically endorsed the idea. And eventually a project evolved. There was a state law that says every construction that takes place, I think one or one-and-a-half percent is earmarked for artwork. So there was a new student services center building that came up, and I think $150,000 was earmarked for artwork. And the university decided that that money would be used to honor the Varsity Victory Volunteers.

TI: And this was primarily, or a lot of it, through your work of just making people in the legislature aware of what was going on?

BT: Well, like I said, I started the thing rolling, but everybody agreed. There was nobody that disagreed with that thing. It was only a matter of how the, how to honor the VVV. What sort of artwork or things like that? How should, it was just a matter of how should it be done? Not that whether or not it should be done. Everybody agreed that it should be done.

TI: Okay. And then, so in terms of the information on the plaque and information about the VVV, were you also helping in putting that together?

BT: Yes. On the plaque, it was an interesting thing. I waited for the VVV boys to come up with ideas what they would like on their plaque. And again, like I said, nobody want to pat themselves on the back. So I did put up something, wrote something down, and passed it on to the boys. Then they took it and then chopped it up and edit and then we came out with a plaque. Very short, concise, but it tells the story of the VVV in brief words, yeah.

TI: And when the VVV boys, when they saw the sculpture, the plaque, and everything together, how did they feel about that? Were they pretty pleased and proud?

BT: The VVV boys were very pleased. But I think more so that they have left something for the future generations to see. Yeah, I kept thinking that in putting the inscription up, that the names of the VVV boys should be inscribed on the base of the artwork. And some of them said, "Why?" I said, "You know, some day I want somebody to say, that was my grandfather, or that was my mother's uncle over there." I think this would give a sense of pride to the young generation as they pass through the campus. And in visiting the mainland campus, I see a lot of statues. And I kept thinking, "How come at the University of Hawaii we don't have something honoring somebody, and nothing around with the VVV?" So now we've got something that's a beautiful piece of artwork that honors, what I say, a gallant band of students.

TI: But, going back to those names, I understand that they didn't have the names, or did they have names on the base of all the VVV?

BT: Yes. On, you have a simple VVV on the front, on one side you have the story of the VVV, and on the other side you have the 169 names.

TI: Okay, good.

<End Segment 14> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.