He found his story in the history of another man

MONROE — Decades after one young man from Monroe died in combat, another is trying to preserve his legacy.

Mario Vega has spent the past five years researching Tom Haji’s story. He started the project as a senior at Monroe High School, and has continued as he’s studied history at Washington State University.

Vega shared his discoveries with the Monroe Historical Society on March 14.

Haji was a Japanese-American whose family moved to Monroe in the 1930s. Once he started learning about Haji, Vega noticed similarities between their lives.

Photos of Haji at Monroe High School, almost 80 years ago, often show him with a group of white friends, which Vega can relate to.

He knows what it is like to belong, but still be separate.

“As a Hispanic-American in Monroe, and having those things with your friends, you know, taking pictures with them and being the only one who stands out, but realizing at the end of the day there is no problem with that,” Vega said.

Haji was born in December 1925 in Bluestem, Washington, near Spokane. His family moved to Monroe in 1938. Vega believes the Hajis could have been the first Japanese family to live there. They were welcomed, Vega said.

“Tom was able to break through whatever prejudices there might have been in the beginning to become one of the most popular men in Monroe,” he said.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the family feared that might change. Haji stayed home from school the day after. When his classmates noticed he was missing, Haji’s friends coaxed him out of the house. Instead of finding rejection, the family was supported by their neighbors.

Soon after, the Hajis were forced into an internment camp at Tule Lake, California. They were released about a year later. They weren’t able to return to Monroe, so they moved to Spokane. Haji enrolled in what was then Whitworth College, where he played basketball and wrote for the student newspaper.

In 1944, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was able to visit Monroe one last time in November 1944.

He was 19 when he was killed in combat in April 1945, just before World War II ended.

According to Washington State University Libraries archives, Haji was part of the Army’s “Go for Broke” 442nd Infantry regiment, made up of Japanese-American volunteers. He was one of three men of the 442nd killed while assaulting a German position in Italy on April 9, 1945.

Vega’s research became more in-depth once he started college.

“In fall 2016, I really started it back up again when I had everything at my disposal working at Washington State University, as a student there,” Vega said.

He plans to graduate in May. He hopes to intern at the Monroe Historical Society this summer, and eventually return to WSU for graduate school.

Vega might use his research for a master’s degree thesis one day, and is interested in learning more about the Japanese-American men who fought in World War II, he said.

Haji didn’t leave behind letters or diaries, so most of Vega’s research has been from other people’s accounts. He often thinks about what he would ask Haji.

“I’d like to hear Tom talk about his story in his own terms, and that’s something I’ll unfortunately never get to do,” he said.

Stephanie Davey: 425-339-3192; sdavey @heraldnet.com.