A most unlikely hero

Description

This inspiring film chronicles Capt. Bruce Yamashita s fight against racial discrimination in the Marine Corps. A third-generation American of Japanese ancestry, he grew up in Hawaii and was a graduate of Georgetown law school, and a delegate to the Hawaii Constitutional Convention. In 1989 he joined the Marine Corps and sought to qualify as an officer. Bruce was subjected to humiliating slurs from the moment he entered officer s training. During the nine -week training program, he was continually taunted by both his peers and the officers in charge, who told him in no uncertain terms he should go back to Japan. Two days before graduation, he was "disenrolled," along with three other minority candidates. Although he had never been a civil rights activist, this injustice nagged at him. He wrote a complaint to the Marine commandant. After looking into Bruce s allegations, the commandant maintained that racial discrimination was not in evidence. Bewildered and outraged, Yamashita decided to pursue the issue. It was to be a fiveyear battle before he won his case.A second Marine investigation admitted that serious racial incidents had occurred and offered Yamashita the option of repeating the "nine weeks of hell,"-- the training course for commission. The "offer" was declined and Bruce pressed on with his charges. Through the Freedom of Information Act, it was revealed that there was a significantly higher rate of "disenrollment" among minorities. An eight-hour hearing brought national news coverage. When interviewed on 60 Minutes the Marine Corps Commandant let slip, "minorities don?t shoot that well, they don t swim that well and they dont use a compass that well."Bruce s courageous and tenacious efforts revealed that racial discrimination was rampant in the Marine Corps. His success showed that one individual can make a difference!.

Runtime

58 min

Creator

Okino, Steve

Subjects

Contributor

Genre

Date of Publication

2006

Database

Alexander Street

Direct Link