Ben Kuroki: Beyond 58 Missions

Luke Vandament Senior, Individual Website

Section 1: I conducted my research by first, discussing possible topics that relate to this years theme of Rights and Responsibilities in History with my teacher. After her recommendation of seeking Ben Kuroki as a possible topic, I collaborated my schools librarian. After the knowledge of many books about Kuroki in the inner library loan system, I decided to research Ben Kuroki. After I had made a website for last years competition and wanted to deepen my knowledge of WWII, my research had led me to a Ben Kuroki, a Nisei turret gunner that would clearly fit this years theme: Rights and Responsibilities in History. As I furthered my research, it was clear that Ben Kuroki was clearly stripped of his rights when he wanted to serve his country during World War II. I also found that Japanese Americans in the west coast were also stripped of their rights by being mandated to go to internment camps.

Section 2: How you conducted your research After receiving numerous books through the inner library loan, I also received though a teacher The Most Honorable Son movie about Kurokis trials with trying to enlist. I also found numerous websites that offered background knowledge of what he went through. I also found many databases that offered numerous amounts of photographs of the life in internment camps. In addition, about how other Japanese-Americans were mistreated until the end of the war with Executive Order 9066 were captured as photographs as well.

Section 3: How you selected your category AND created your project The next step in the process was to choose my presentation category. I chose my category by making a chart of my abilities on all the possible categories for competition. I chose the website category because I have very good technical skills, and last year I was exceedingly successful with creating website. I believe that I can truly convey this years theme with all that is there to offer in creating a website, with all the audiovisuals that can be embedded with a website. I also considered what would be the best way to display the photos that I have saved about internment and Ben Kurokis experience.

Section 4: How your project relates to the NHD theme My project relates to the theme in two ways. One way was Americans who were Japanese descent were put in camps that resembled concentration camps, and the other way is how Ben Kuroki had to fight like hell to fight for the right to serve his own country. Both are a loss of rights to people and one person. The Japanese Americans who lost almost every right were forced to move to camps that were ill suited for life, in places in the United States that are desolate and lifeless