SACRAMENTO – Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR) 33, authored by Assemblymember Mark Leno (D- Monterey Park), was adopted by the California State Senate today with a unanimous vote. Specifically, AJR 33 urges the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee of the United States Postal Service to approve a commemorative postage stamp honoring the Nisei (Japanese American) veterans who served in the U.S. Army in World War II.
Over 20,000 Japanese Americans enlisted into the United States Army during World War II, despite being sent to internment camps and facing prejudice after the attack at Pearl Harbor in 1941. Among their many battles, Nisei soldiers in Europe fought at Monte Cassino and Anzio and freed and aided Holocaust victims from the Dachau concentration camp. The most famous unit, the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, also known as the “Go For Broke” regiment, became one of the most decorated and acclaimed units in American history.
The Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee of the U.S. Postal Service reviews all suggestions and recommendations to the Postmaster General every year on what future stamps will be created. There are currently no stamps honoring Japanese American soldiers who fought in World War II.
“The state of California has spoken pretty loud and clear with respect to this very important issue,” stated Assemblymember Eng. “We are now one step closer toward ensuring that these special war heroes receive the honor they deserve.”
For those joining in gay marriages today, the road from outlaw status to respectability was paved in the Legislature over three decades.
From decriminalizing sex between same-sex couples, to outlawing job discrimination against homosexuals, to adding gay members to the legislative roster, the government has been taking steps, measure-by-measure, that have led to gay couples joining hands in marriage ceremonies across the state.
