The Heart Mountain Honor Roll

      A focal point of the Heart Mountain Relocation Center was its tall flagpole and military Honor Roll.  The Honor Roll was constructed by the internees and displayed the names of all persons from the camp who served in the U.S. military during World War II.

    These photographs by internee photographer George S. Iwanaga show the Honor Roll and flagpole in 1944, at a time when a panel of the Honor Roll had been removed to add new names.

    Through the inspiration and assistance of many people, the Heart Mountain, Wyoming Foundation was able to recapture 799 names that were on the original Honor Roll but had been worn off by years of Wyoming weather.  The Foundation dedicated a replica of the Honor Roll, complete with the names of those who served, at a ceremony on July 5, 2003. The Foundation funded the construction and dedication of the Honor Roll entirely through private fund raising.

    The text of the interpretive sign and the list of names on the Honor Roll are below.  At the bottom of this page, you can see a photo gallery of HMWF's construction and dedication of the Honor Roll.

The Restored Heart Mountain Honor Roll:  Interpretive Sign and List of Names

    "More than 750 young men and women incarcerated during World War II at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, despite being forced by the government to live in wooden barracks surrounded by barbed wire, left to serve their country in the U.S. Armed Forces.  To recognize these citizens the camp’s United Service Organizations (USO) sponsored the construction of a 'servicemen’s roll call panel' during the summer of 1944.  It was placed at this location by the camp’s engineering department and was in front of the administration building.

    "Unfortunately, the full list of names displayed on the original honor roll has not survived.  We do know that the original list included all service men and women whose families were incarcerated at the camp, including those who were already in the service prior to the start of the Second World War.  It also included servicemen and women from families who were transferred to Heart Mountain from other camps.  Also listed were names of Caucasian employees of the Center who left to serve in the military.

    "Using the original criteria, this list has been recreated using the Heart Mountain Relocation Center census from the National Archives, as well as information from the camp newspaper, 'The Heart Mountain Sentinel,' and from family and friends of those formerly incarcerated here.

    "The replica Honor Roll and new flag pole were provided and installed by the Heart Mountain, Wyoming Foundation. Funding for these came solely from private donors, including Japanese Americans who were incarcerated at Heart Mountain, their descendants, and residents of the State of Wyoming."

‡ denotes Killed in Action     * denotes Wounded in Action

HMWF's Construction and Dedication of the Replica Honor Roll, 2000 - 2003

Click on an image to see an enlarged version.
 

The Honor Roll in 2000, before reconstruction. Front view.	The Honor Roll in 2000, before construction. Rear view.	Construction of Honor Roll and Flagpole	Construction of Honor Roll and Flagpole
Construction of Honor Roll and Flagpole	Construction of Honor Role and Flagpole	Construction of Honor Role and Flagpole	Construction of Honor Roll and Flagpole
The reconstructed Honor Roll.	Another view of the reconstructed Honor Roll and flagpole.	The raising of the flag at the July 5, 2003, rededication ceremony for the Honor Roll.	Service banner used in the reenactment of the Farewell Departure Ceremony
Bacon Sakatani, master of ceremonies at the July 5, 2003 Honor Roll rededication ceremony.	Wreath laying by Col. "Nobby" Masuoka, John Black, and Willy Kai.	The flag flies high in the Wyoming sky over the restored Honor Roll and the rededication ceremony.