He made the effort and took the the time to vote. Will you?
by David Pinar on Oct. 26, 2012, under Pol. & Govt.
That is World War II veteran Frank Tanabe voting by absentee ballot last week in Honolulu Hawaii. He was in the final stages of inoperable liver cancer and was at home in Honolulu receiving hospice care. But he had never missed a presidential election, and he wasn’t about to let his illness deter him from voting this time around. When his absentee ballot arrived his daughter, Barbara, sat at his bedside and read aloud the candidates and issues.
“I helped him. He either nodded ‘yes’ or shook his head ‘no’, ” Barbara told reporters. “He didn’t always vote for my candidate.” Nonetheless, she said she followed his directions and mailed in the completed form.
Originally from the Seattle area, Tanabe enrolled at the University of Washington during World War II but was forced to drop out when he and the rest of his family were placed in internment camps for the Japanese in the U.S. Undeterred by the disrespect and cruelty of the rounding up and detention of American citizens of Japanese descent after the Pearl Harbor attack, Mr. Tanabe volunteered for the U.S. Army, knowing that Japanese-English translators were in need. His family members remained interned in the camp while he served his country in our uniform.
In 2010 Mr. Tanabe was among a group of Japanese-Americans who were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal as part of the Military Intelligence Service Unit during World War II. Here he is proudly holding his medal, the acknowledgement of our country’s gratitude and pride for the service to our country of Frank Tanabe and his fellow nisei:
Mr. Tanabe passed away yesterday at age 93.
“He always told us it was very important to vote, because he saw his comrades in arms fight and die for American rights,” his daughter Barbara said.
Frank Tanabe was right – it is very import to vote, because it is your vote that helps set the future direction of our city, our county, our state, and our country. Mr. Tanabe fought for our country, and fought for his last breaths of air to vote. Please take the time to cast your vote.
