Jon Morris Ichinaga

We are, or at least I am, at that age where our friends are passing away.  It becomes a wave of guilt and regret, not keeping in touch, not doing enough to maintain a friendship, not taking the time for a brief conversation over the phone,  a text or a 20 minute coffee break.

I read the obituaries in the various newspapers I subscribe to, LA Times, Daily Breeze and now the Nichi Bei Times and the Rafu Shimpo.  Jon's obituary was posted today in the Rafu.  He died on New Years day.  Some things you don't know until you read the obituary.  I never knew we both had english middle names, not japanese.

Jon was a part of my life during critical times.  We were friends during my last year in California during the ninth grade.  While my dad and sister had moved up to Washington state, my mom and I were temporarily housed at a motel until I graduated Jr. High school.  It was a long walk to Marina del Rey Jr High from Washington Blvd., but half way there, I would stop by Jon's house and we would continue on.

Even at that age, Jon was a anomaly, a rebel an extremely intelligent one.  He lived in a room in the back of his parent's detached garage.  I didn't know much about his family or why he was back there at age 14,  Our bond was our daily walk to school and that our girlfriends were best buddies.  Yeah, ninth grade romance.  Mieko and Lynn were two peas in a pod, both brilliant (I was probably the dumbest of the foursome) and in a relationship with two rebels without a cause.

When I moved shortly after graduation, he kept in touch.  Ironically, we diverted to different but similar paths in high school.  He went to Beverly Hills high, I went to Fort Vancouver.  The similarity was that both had the modular class schedule that was similar to a college schedule.  The academic day was split up into modules, and classes were not scheduled as a five day a week class.  Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays classes were different than the Tues. Thurs. classes.  There were breaks in between to "enrich" our academic careers.  In other words, a lot of free time to not study.

Im not sure how we stayed in touch, but we both applied to Long Beach State.  When I moved down, he helped me find a place to rent.  A naive freshman did not think about dorms or living situation when he packed up his car and drove down shortly before the school year started.  I remember going through the classifieds with him and traveling around to see the different places to rent.  He was already in the dorm.  My memory was of him turning into a street and immediately turned the car around saying "im not letting you live in this neighborhood"

 A year later we were roommates in an apartment.  Im not sure how he put up with me, but he was usually at his girlfriend's place

Jon was hard to describe.  He was opinionated, in a good way.  When I found out he eventually went to law school, it didn't surprise me.  He could be arrogant, stubborn, abrupt, but mix that with high intelligence and compassion for the non majority, he was a force to be reckoned with.  He went on to UCLA for his masters in Social Welfare before becoming a Lawyer.

He was a good friend.  As I look back, a lot of what I see in my middle son, the lawyer, reminds me of Jon.  a little frightening, but with a great sense of comfort.  

Jon was there during my wandering lost years.  He helped anchor me, to prepare me for my future.

Not only did he get me to Long Beach State, he got me to a university that fit me, where I met my wife, where I had developed in the Christian faith, and set my path for the future in the aerospace industry.

My regrets Jon, is that I did not follow up with you, especially since you lived in Torrance.  We had a few brief encounters, but not enough, 

As a postscript, the list of these types of regrets is growing,  I hope to trim the list.

Year 12 and Counting......

12 year anniversary of my quadruple bypass surgery (CABG)

In the Name of God

When reading the Bible,  a lot of the stories are just that, bible stories, I have seldom thought about how they occur in everyday life.  Do you really experience the story of the tax collector or how Zacchaeus    climbs a ladder to see Jesus?  A lot of the sermons treat the stories as metaphorical.   I was thinking the other day of the pharisees.  The heir-achy of the church.  The learned and holy.  I haven't heard many sermons covering the corruption or delusionment of the governing temple.  You would think that with technology and advanced knowledge that it should not occur in out modern times.

But we have many distortions that I overlook, Later Day Saints, Scientology, Universalism, etc. I always thought it would come from outside the church, through society, and the government.  Not within.  At what point does it consume and take over our basic faith.  At what point do we become self delusional and at what point do we justify everything in the name of God.  

I understand the dynamic in business.  It occurs everyday (so much for my theory on societal advancement).  Profit, greed and ego (power) often overcomes decency.  But it seems like those ingredients are ever-present and are becoming more common in the age of the megachurch.  

Justification in the name of God, discourages evaluation and review.  It labels those who question the proclamation implying a lack of faith.  It is usually followed by a reprimand of unfaithfulness and unchristian like behavior.  There are many warnings in the Bible.  Are we implored to think, evaluate, review, compare, before we leap?

I find it ironic that what is motivating me now is to read the Bible not so much for my faith in Christ, but to research and verify what I'm being taught from the pulpit. That worries me.  It also worries me that more Christians become more suspicious of the established man created church governing institutions.    

What encourages me is that many have not lost their faith, but strengthened as they move away from those established institutions, in the name of God.

Amateur Film Maker

 Then unexpected side affects of a student film maker is that you start looking at tv shows differently.  Id include movies, but as you know, I don't see a lot of them.

Im starting to observe how often they cut to a different camera, how they frame the picture with little or no headroom (thanks Cory), or the type of shot.  What I should be looking at is how they craft the show, the storyline, but that is something im not ready for, yet.  

What disturbs me as I watch season 5 of Mrs. Maisel, I spend more time watching the credits.  Yes, the acknowledgements at the end of the show.  What font are they using, what format, who they are crediting. Yes, I am getting ticked at those shows where they minimize the screen off to the side while they start the next show.  Show me the damn credits.......

Maybe I aspire to be like Chuck Lorre and have note cards at the end of the show with my thoughts of the day.  Like this blog.  I guess Im there already.  Off to watch episode 4 of Mrs. Maisel and read the credits.

Historic Japanese American church nearly loses name, legacy

Our church during the 80s and 90s.

Published June 13th in the Asian American News (ASAMNEWS.com)

 https://asamnews.com/2023/06/13/church-takeover-prevented-japanese-american-history-erasure-southern-california/?fbclid=IwAR3-OOfgXJUHfHFh-rkfDu0me0e84FhHL49u0rmxEhu7kevvW-4J2amk62k

Memorial Day 2023

 

Japanese American Vietnam Era Archives JAVEA

 Long name.  Short explanation, the Interview of Sansei (third generation JA) Veterans of the Vietnam Era.  The Vietnam Era is considered 1960 to early 1970s.  Veterans are defined as anyone that served in the armed forces during that time period.  Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Reserves, National Guard, Coast Guard, etc.  Assignment is not a factor, In country (Vietnam) stateside, other countries.

Interviews are conducted according to the Library of Congress Veteran History Project.  We record and document according to their guidelines and submit raw footage to the VHP.  They will edit and post on their website.  

The questions we ask are slightly modified to reflect the JA community.  Some were born in camp, most out of the incarceration resettlement.  We try to cover the community they grew up in, military experience and their repatriation into civilian society.  Benefits (life lessons, VA assistance, etc.), reflections.

It is our attempt to recognize a forgotten or ignored portion of our JA community. The two of us (Don Bannai and myself) are not veterans.  I missed the draft lottery by two months.  But during Vietnam whether you were drafted or fortunate to not be, you were affected. I may have followed the lottery knowing that I was not affected, but they lived it.  

The unexpected benefits of these interviews, is that it has given us a wide perspective of the war.  Some fought in Korea, some stayed stateside, some overseas in Europe, some before the escalation of the conflict.  Some in the thick of it. Each veteran has his unique story and we are trying to preserve those stories.  Already, too many have passed.  And many still struggle with the VA, PTSD and agent Orange.

The interviews are in 20 minute segments, and if at any time they don't feel comfortable with a question, we move on.  Many have said, they have not told these stories to their family, or talked with other veterans.  We hope it helps them move on and provide a history for their grandchildren.