Monroe teen’s sacrifice in WWII recalled
Published 10:48 pm Thursday, January 3, 2008
MONROE — Tom Parry never met Tommy Haji.
But Parry cares about Haji, a Japanese-American who once lived in Monroe and died during World War II.
A member of the Monroe Historical Society, Parry, 73, has spent six months working on a life story of Haji. Local historians have collected stories of local veterans who survived wars; it should do the same for those who didn’t return, Parry said.
At first, Parry began collecting information about his cousin Raymond Handley, who lived in Monroe when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. The Navy electrician died in combat at Iwo Jima in 1945. Handley was 23 years old.
As Parry talked to people about his cousin, he came across Tommy Haji. The Haji family moved to Monroe in 1938. Haji excelled in academics and sports at Monroe High School.
“He had enormous potential,” Parry said.
Parry obtained photos of Haji and talked to his relatives. The more he researched, the more passionate Parry became to record the young man’s story.
Haji was 16 when the United States entered the war, Parry said. Haji had to quit his studies and was sent with his family to an internment camp for Japanese-Americans in Tule Lake, Calif.
After spending a year at the camp, Haji volunteered to fight for America, Parry said. He joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated unit of Japanese-Americans in the U.S. Army. The unit was known as a suicide unit because of its high casualty rate. Thousands of soldiers lost their lives in pitched battles in Europe.
Haji was killed in Italy on April 9, 1945, Parry said. He was 19.
People in Monroe need to remember what Haji did for his country, Parry said.
“Monroe is about people like Haji, who sacrificed everything,” he said.
The Haji family was well known in the community, Parry said. He is asking people to provide him with information about the family.
“Maybe nobody will ever look at it,” Parry said of his project. “But if they do, (Haji) will be remembered.”
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
