Army Doctor Leads Vets March
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Del.icio.usWahiawa Lions Club’s 65th annual Veterans Day parade and celebration Nov. 11 will feature members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and 100th Infantry Battalion, led by grand marshal Dr. Shigeru Kawamoto.
The units recently received the Congressional Gold Medal from President Barack Obama.
Kawamoto was born in 1917 and raised in Wahiawa, graduating from Leilehua High School. He joined the 442nd RCT in its 232nd Engineer Battalion and was injured during World War II in France. After rehabilitation, he earned his medical degree and practiced with the U.S. Army medical division in Tokyo from 1950 to 1957, during the Korean War. Kawamoto retired in 1983 after working as an optometrist for Kaiser Permanente.
“Dr. Kawamoto is just a terrific individual, so well-spoken for someone who is 92 years old,” said Wahiawa Lion Henry Lee.
The parade starts at Kaala Elementary School at 10 a.m. and will proceed up California Avenue to Wahiawa District Park, where an awards ceremony for the marching military units is planned. Maj. Gen. Bernard S. Champoux will deliver the keynote address.
Besides active-duty military and veterans, marchers include the Royal Hawaiian Band, Boy and Girl Scout troops, schools and area businesses.
A Culture, Community and Craft Fair will be held for the second year at the park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. where military vehicles will be on display. Also planned are local bands and entertainers, food booths, crafts, games, exhibits, cultural and ethnic demonstrations and Xtreme Fun inflatables.
Spaces are still open for marching units and booths. Vendors must provide their own tent, tables and chairs, and only packaged foods may be sold, no cooking. Fee is $10, payable to Wahiawa Lions Club, and deadline is Nov. 1. For more information, call Rene Mansho at 306-1876 or e-mail her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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