(USO Monument), (sculpture).

(USO Monument), (sculpture).

Fujioka, Kaneo, sculptor.

Horisawa, Kay, sculptor.

(USO Monument), (sculpture).

1945. Dedicated Oct. 20, 1945.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: concrete, partially painted; Base: concrete.

Sculpture: approx. 15 ft. x 9 ft. x 11 ft. 8 in.; Base: approx. 10 in. x 9 ft. 4 in. x 12 ft. 8 in.

(On east side of sculpture, incised lettering:) IN MEMORY OF OUR SONS/WHO SACRIFICED THEIR/LIVES IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY. THEY/FOUGHT FOR FREEDOM./THEY DIED THAT THE/WORLD MIGHT HAVE/PEACE./EDWARD B. MOULTON/ASSISTANT/PROJECT DIRECTOR/OCT 20, 1945/HEAD OF USO/I. TAKEMURA/G. TAKATA/T. KAGAWA (On north side of sculpture, incised lettering:) MEMORIAL/SPONSORED BY/ROHWER RELO-/CATION USO/AND PEOPLE OF/THE CENTER/ENG/K HORISAWA/K FUJIOKA/100,442

(On west side of sculpture, incised lettering:) IN MEMORIAM/DEDICATED TO THE MEN FROM/ROHWER CENTER WHO GAVE/THEIR LIVES TO AMERICA/ON FOREIGN SOIL/PVT. SUSUMU OKURA FRANCE/PFC MASUTO SAKADO FRANCE/PFC GEORGE SAITO FRANCE/PFC CALVIN SAITO ITALY/SGT. ZENICHI MASUDA ITALY/SGT. TOGO SUGIYAMA ITALY/SGT. ROY A. SHIMATSU ITALY/ SGT. TED T. TANOUYE ITALY/CPL. YOSHINORI SAKAI FRANCE/SGT. SEICHI NAKAMOTO FRANCE/PFC BOB KAMECKA FRANCE/CPL. GEORGE NAKAMURA FRANCE/PFC KO TANAKA FRANCE/PFC MASARU TASHIMA FRANCE/PFC GEORGE OMAKAWA FRANCE/PFC MINORU YOSHIDA FRANCE/PFC FRED S. YASUDA FRANCE/PFC COOPER TAHARA FRANCE/PFC KAY K. MASAOKA FRANCE/PFC TAKEO KANEICHI FRANCE/PFC JOE NISHIMOTO FRANCE/SGT. AKIRA OTSUBO FRANCE/SGT. STANLEY ICHIKI GERMANY/CPL. TOSHIO HOZAKI ITALY/PFC TAKEO NINOMIYA ITALY/PFC TATSUO YOSHIZAKI ITALY/SGT. WILLIAM IMAMOTO ITALY/CPL. ROBERT KISHI ITALY/SGT. IWAO TAKAHASHI ITALY/ CPL. GEORGE KAWANO ITALY/100,442/US (On south side of sculpture, incised lettering:) JUNE 26, 1944/JULY 12"/"16"/SEPT. 6"/OCT. 17"/"20"/"20"/"29"/"29"/"29"/"30"/"31"/NOV. 1"/"5"/"6"/"8"/"14"/"23"/MAR. 29 1945/APR. 5"/"6"/"6"/"8"/"8"/"21"/"25"/USO signed

A tank body and treads, topped by a tablet and star. The cogs and wheels of the tank and the treads are impressed into the rough surface of the concrete. The east side of the tablet features a shallow relief American flag, which is painted. On the west side is a relief of an eagle, an inscription, and two small soldiers facing each other. Japanese characters appear in relief on the north side of the tablet. The sculpture rests upon a short rectangular foundation.

History -- United States -- World War II

Ethnic -- Japanese

Architecture -- Vehicle -- Tank

Occupation -- Military -- Soldier

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Animal -- Bird -- Eagle

Object -- Other -- Flag

Landscape -- Celestial -- Star

Outdoor Sculpture -- Arkansas -- Rohwer

Administered by Desha County, Robert Moore Street, Desha County Courthouse, Arkansas City, Arkansas 71630

Located Rohwer Relocation Center Memorial Cemetery, West of Arkansas Highway 1, Rohwer, Arkansas

The sculpture was built in honor and memory of the Rohwer Nisei soldiers who were killed in action while serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. The artists designed and built the sculpture while internees at the Rohwer concentration camp. The camp was used to imprison Japanese Americans during World War II. The artists were able to use only the materials they had available at the camp. The sculpture is located in the memorial cemetery, built by the internees of the Rohwer camp, which is situated just outside the camp boundary. The State of Arkansas named the Rohwer Memorial Cemetery a state historical monument. In 1974, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Midwest District Council of the Japanese American Citizens League organized the Rohwer Restoration Project in 1989 to save the sculpture and another built by the artists (see IAS AR000273). In 1990 the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program nominated the cemetery to the National Park Service to have it declared a National Historic Landmark. The sculpture has been partly restored, with large sections of the tread area that formerly had spalled away being repaired.

IAS files contain a transcription of Japanese characters on sculpture. IAS files contain a 1991 National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Rohwer Relocation Center Memorial Cemetery. IAS files contain a related excerpt from the booklet, "The First Rohwer Reunion," Los Angeles, CA: First Rohwer Reunion Committee, July 1990, pg. 42-43.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Arkansas survey, 1993.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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