[Press] - Real-Life Heroes Meet Sgt. Rock at SDCC
July 30, 2008
For Immediate Release
Real-Life Heroes Meet Sgt. Rock at SDCC
Bayport, NY — Comic Con International, the world renown comic book
and pop culture convention, made its annual presence known in San
Diego, California this past Thursday, July 24 as it opened to a
record-breaking 125,000 attendees and selling-out passes for all four
days. This is a stark contrast to the first Comic-Con in 1970 that
gathered 140 attendees.
This year, amid the previews, non-stop parade of costumed characters
and the never ending fawning of “stars,” Comic-Con entertained
some very special attendees — the real-life Heroes of World War II.
Three extraordinary men of the US Army’s 442nd Regimental Combat
Team quietly made their presence at the show — Medal of Honor
recipient George “Joe” Sakato (E Company), David Katagiri (F
Company) and Jim Yamashita (I Company).
The 442nd was made of Japanese American soldiers, who were heinously
labeled “4C — Enemy Alien” by their country in the aftermath of
the Pearl Harbor attacks. Everyone of the “Nisei” volunteered to
fight for another’s freedom in Europe and Asia while their families,
under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066, were stripped of
their homes and businesses and incarcerated behind barbed wire in
“internment camps.”
William “Billy” Tucci invited the veterans. The writer/artist is
in the process of revising DC’s iconic hero, “Sgt. Rock” which
will be released this November to coincide with Veterans Day. The six
issue miniseries, “Sgt. Rock – The Lost Battalion” is dedicated
to the 275 trapped men of the 141st Infantry Regiment who fought off
a German Army ten times their size and the 442nd soldiers sent on the
suicide mission to rescue them. At Billy’s booth, Sakato and
Yamashita were greeted by fans wanting to meet these heroes, and one
man immediately noticed the Medal of Honor around Mr. Sakato’s neck
and was awestruck that a true MOH recipient was an attendee. Mr.
Yamashita said he had never experienced anything similar to Comic-Con
and felt this was a great opportunity to expose a new and different
group of people to the 442nd history.
Billy has spent the past year researching the 141st and the 442nd. He
traveled to France and walked the actual battlefields with French
historians Hervé Claudon and Gerome Villain and is determined to
portray history accurately and has interviewed many of the 442nd
veterans as well as the Lost Battalion survivors. A veteran and
former paratrooper himself, Billy stated that he never knew what they
endured for our country and feels Sgt. Rock can educate the public on
the experiences of these special men. “In my heart I feel that this
comic book series can serve as a bridge that spans generations, and
brings attention to a true story of heroism, humanity and
sacrifice.” The cartoonist stated.
These incredible men, along with their escorts, Leslie Sakato
(daughter of George Sakato), JA Living Legacy’s Susan Uyemura and
the Hon. Bryan Yagi, joined Billy and several other comic
professionals at Tabule for an unforgettable dinner afterwards.
Judge Yagi, an avid Comic-Con alumnus himself, commented that this
was truly a special experience citing, he felt like a “little kid”
around these men. Yagi’s uncle, the late Tom Yagi, was a medic
assigned to the second platoon of L Company, 442nd RCT. For Judge
Yagi, Comic-Con was a chance to combine his two passions: comic books
and his new found admiration of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
The event was made extra special as Billy’s college buddy, USMC
Captain Paul Krumenacker, having just returned from his 3rd Tour of
Duty in Iraq joined them. “The owners and staff at Tabule really
went out of their way for our heroes as they offered on-the-house
drinks and desserts to match the excellent food, service and
atmosphere.” Billy continued, “To be befriended by these brave
and amazingly humble warriors of yesterday and today is an honor for
me that no words can express. Many of the patrons (apparently big-
wig guests of the con) also paid their respects and that just added
to an incredible evening of food and drink — we had so much fun that
we ended up closing down the place!”
Mr. Yamashita probably said it best as to why the vets kept on going
all through the night, “When I got home from the war, I not only had
one life to live, but three or four lives for my friends who never
made it back.”
It must be noted that despite fighting not only the enemy, but also
malicious prejudice from their own countrymen, the 100th/442nd
remains the most decorated single unit in US military history, with
680 paying the ultimate sacrifice while another 67 remaining missing
to this day.
On a final note Mr. Yamashita hopes to bring in 30 442nd veterans to
next year’s Con. Billy thinks it’s a great idea, as he “would
love the fans to experience just what I did and meet these giants who
fought and defeated the forces of racism and tyranny — both at home
and abroad!”
Written and illustrated by Billy Tucci, DC Comics’ “Sgt. Rock –
The Lost Battalion” will debut November 5, 2008. Several members of
the 442nd RCT will also be special guests at this year’s Baltimore
Comic Con. Special thanks to the SDCC, Tabule Restaurant, DC Comics
and Michael Solof for contributing the photographs for this release.
For more info please contact Deborah Tucci @ debtucci@optonline.net
William Tucci
Ambassadeur, De La Region De Bruyeres, Vosges, France
Crusade Fine Arts, Ltd.
429 Middle Road
Baport, NY 11705
