By Steve Wehrly, Journal reporter
American WWII hero and San Juan islander Roy Matsumoto is the central character in “Honor and Sacrifice: The Heart of a Patriot, The Face of the Enemy,” a documentary film in final production by Stourwater Pictures. The production company’s target release date is May 1, 2013, Matsumoto’s one hundredth birthday.
Matsumoto’s daughter, Karen Matsumoto, and the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community (www.bijac.org) are non-profit fiscal sponsors of the film and have kicked off a thirty-day campaign to raise $30,000 to fund completion of the film. The New York-based creative project funding group Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com) is organizing and promoting the fundraising effort.
According to the film’s website (stourwater.com/honor.html), the 27-minute documentary will tell the story of Matsumoto and other Japanese American men who were incarcerated in concentration camps, enlisted in the U.S. military, and volunteered to become linguists in the Military Intelligence Service in the Pacific Theater of WWII. Matsumoto received numerous decorations and citations, including the Legion of Merit and the Congressional Gold Medal, for his WW II service with Merrill’s Marauders and other combat units.
On July 4, 2012, Matsumoto was recognized with other Japanese-American WWII veterans by Ichiro Fujisake, Japan’s Ambassador to the U.S., at a special ceremony at Nisei Veterans Hall in Seattle.
To contribute, or for more information, go to: http://stourwater.com/honor.html.