Maggie’s Motivational Pic Thread v2.0 - - New Rules - See Post #1

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HERO Ben Kuroki...“I had to fight like hell for the right to fight for my own country.”
Kuroki, a Nebraska farm boy, somehow slipped through the filter that placed all Japanese American enlistees in segregated units during WWII, and he became a gunner in a B-24 squadron based in Europe. He served with distinction and completed 30 combat missions, more than the standard full tour of 25.
He returned to the United States for rest and recuperation. Kuroki returned to the fight by serving another full tour of duty as a B-29 gunner in the Pacific. He was the only Japanese American to serve in air combat in the Pacific, and one of very few soldiers at all to have fought in both the European and Pacific theaters. He completed a total of 58 combat missions and was awarded three Distinguished Flying Crosses and the Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters.
 
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HERO Ben Kuroki...“I had to fight like hell for the right to fight for my own country.”
Kuroki, a Nebraska farm boy, somehow slipped through the filter that placed all Japanese American enlistees in segregated units during WWII, and he became a gunner in a B-24 squadron based in Europe. He served with distinction and completed 30 combat missions, more than the standard full tour of 25.
He returned to the United States for rest and recuperation. Kuroki returned to the fight by serving another full tour of duty as a B-29 gunner in the Pacific. He was the only Japanese American to serve in air combat in the Pacific, and one of very few soldiers at all to have fought in both the European and Pacific theaters. He completed a total of 58 combat missions and was awarded three Distinguished Flying Crosses and the Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters.
Kuroki grew up just west of here and is a legend in Nebraska. He passed away in 2015 at age 98 and was a survivor of the Black Sunday raid on Ploesti. A documentary film "The Honest Son" aired on PBS in 2007. A true hero who served with honor and courage.