34th Division Requests Citizenship Rights

Author: unknown
Puka Puka Parades, November 1949, vol. 4 no. 6

The 34th Division advocate immediate action by Congress on the Walter resolution granting Citizenship rights to all legal immigrants. They cite the records of the 100th and 442nd in WWII as reasoning.

The 34th Infantry Division Association has gone on record advocating immediate action by Congress on the Walter resolution granting Citizenship rights to all legal immigrants.

The action was taken at a weekend convention in Minneapolis during September 10-11th inclusive.

After citing the records made by the 442nd and the 100th in combat in Italy, the association unanimously adopted a resolution which said in part:

“….. in keeping with the tenets of justice and the democratic principles of our nation, we petition the Congress to pass without delay House Joint (the Walter) resolution 238 so that the parents of our comrades may enjoy the privilege of citizenship which their sons so gallantly purchased for them in the mountains and the mud of France and Italy,” and further that:

A delegation for the 34th…..be named to visit Congress immediately after this convention closes to present in person over arguments for legislation that would finally grant first class citizenship to persons of Asiatic ancestry now living in the United States.

Copies were forwarded to the President Vice President and a number of influential senators in Congress.

The resolution was introduced by Lt. Col. E. E. Surdyk, chairmen of the association’s Americanism committee, and seconded by Maj. Gen. Ray C. Fountain, commanding general of the reorganized 34th Division and former commanding officer of the 133rd Regiment to which the 100th was attached from Salerno to Rome.