Going for Broke: New Orleans, World War II and the 442nd

In order to fight the post-holiday blues, we planned a little trip to New Orleans as a family. This was inspired by my Aunt Diane and her husband, Gil, who were going to be in the Big Easy for a law professors conference. So, we packed up and drove on out in very cold weather...

Of course, the food was amazing... Acme Oyster House, Brennan's, The Upperline and Cafe Du Monde to name a few... we weren't short on good, rich and fattening food. And, the company was great. It was great to be with Diane and Gil, to catch up and to just share perspectives on life and everything in between.

And the National World War II Museum was really incredible. I was so glad to take Nate to it and to walk through all of the exhibits. He was very quiet, took it all in, and just now, some of the questions he has about that war and war in general are surfacing. The 35 minute movie they show in their theater was quite impressive as well. It felt like we were in the middle of it all - scary, sobering and the experiential nature of it lent itself to making it seem so real. The most memorable line from it was from a soldier writing about his experience... something like "nothing makes you a pacifist more quickly than being an infantryman..."

Sadly, there was one gaping hole in all of this. The only mention of the internment of the Japanese-Americans during WWII was in one sentence in a little area that dealt with the topic of minorities and women getting jobs in key factories, etc... because everyone's help was needed. Not one mention of it during the movie... not one mention of the 442nd (a unit of all Japanese-Americans fighting their way through Europe)...here were these incredible Americans who had had every civil liberty taken from them going off to fight for their country - and not once was this mentioned. This was the regiment that coined the phrase "Go for Broke!" The 442nd WAS THE MOST DECORATED REGIMENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES ARMED SERVICES, with 21 Medal of Honor recipients... and NOT ONCE were they mentioned in the movie... and perhaps I missed something in the exhibit... but we went through every room and saw nothing about this. I was glad to see a whole section dedicated to the horrible racial stereotypes the government utilized against the Japanese race in their propoganda...

So... my assessment... go see it! It's well worth it and eye-opening, educational... I was so moved by the volunteers who staff the entry, the coat check, the various points along the way. They were all WWII vets and I was struck by how very soon this generation of Americans who served in this war will be gone. They experienced so much, and I don't want their experiences to be lost as time progresses - which is why the museum is so amazing and important. Having Nate see this was key. The media, the kids he goes to school with - they all glorify war. I wanted him to see how horrific it is when humans have to solve their problems in this way - how much death and sacrifice takes place in war... it isn't anything to glorify.

So, I'm off my soapbox... if you want to know more about the museum, click here http://www.nationalww2museum.org/. To learn more about the 442nd, click here http://www.the442.org/ and here http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/nisei/index3_442nd.html and here: http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210341/442nd/splash442nd.htm. Go for Broke!

The Holidays are Over...welcoming 2010

It's been quite the holiday season in our home... all of the traditional things we do in addition to lots and lots of family, friends and activities. And yet, there's been plenty of time for reflection. Some of our highlights include:

• Having ALL of my (Rachel's) immediate family under one roof for Christmas this year. It has been seven years since my sister, my parents and my little family of three have been together for Christmas. We are so spread out geographically, it's hard for everyone to always be together for this special time - but we all made it happen this year. My parents came on the 20th and Auntie Becky & Auntie Fran (pictures above) rolled in on the 23rd. It was hard to say goodbye to my sister as she and Fran headed back to New York on Monday the 28th...and Nate is already mourning my parents' departure this coming Wednesday, the 6th. I cooked, cooked, cooked with my sister, we celebrated THREE birthdays at Ousie's and played Wii like crazy (Nate FINALLY got one after many years of hoping. He'd showed us how responsible he could be with the limited DS time he got, and so we caved... but we've all been having fun playing it together)... you can see the little video from Christmas morning of him opening his gift, below...




• Our traditional Christmas Eve with the Quans (and my family!) at our home reminded me of how time moves so quickly, and how family changes, grows and adapts over time. Our nephews were here, but two of our nieces and their husbands were not... makes me sad to think that as people's lives change, jobs take them to various places and life in general happens, it is not often that we are ALL together. But, we still had the traditional Jook (Chinese Porridge) and Curry night for Christmas Eve. People's absences were duly noted because I actually had some leftovers this year - something that has not happened in quite some time. Three crockpots of Jook used to not be enough... and suddenly, I found myself putting away a quart of leftover. :( Sort of sad... However, Nate still lit the Christ Candle on Christmas Eve with the help of his Aunties and Uncles and Cousins, and still went to bed eager and excited for the morning and all the fun it would bring. I loved that his Chin Clan was here to enjoy him enjoying them...




• And, we still had our annual trek to Leona, TX - a tradition that started many years ago... we trek up to the Mizwa Ranch in Leona and meet our friends the Eutslers and the Myers (and usually the Chois) every year... and this year shared the experience with our friends the Mosemans. My parents even joined us as we fed Tex, the Longhorn, visited with Mamere and Dado Mizwa (who have loved Nate since the day they laid eyes on him) and had incredible steaks and dessert at the Leona General Store.

So, we hope you too had some good memories... and thought you'd enjoy catching up with our family holidays here... we were grateful to have been granted one more year to reflect on the faith that sustains us and to celebrate that faith. I love the Message version of John 1:1... "And the Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood..." Our little family is so grateful for that truth that means so much to us...

No matter what you celebrated, we hope you had a holiday filled with great peace and love!