Rohwer in Desha County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
Rohwer Internment Camp Veterans Memorial
Dedicated to the Patriotic Japanese-American men from Rohwer Internment Camp who sacrificed their lives in the service of their country in World War II.
U.S. Fifth Army - 100 Battalion - 442 Regiment
Cassino Anzio
Japanese-American Creed
I am an American of Japanese ancestry and appreciate the advantages of our nation. I glory in her heritage: I trust in her future. We are granted liberties and opportunities greater than anywhere in the world. We are entrusted with the responsibilities of the franchise: permitted to build a home: to earn a livelihood, to worship, think speak and act as we please -- as a free man.
After Pearl Harbor, a wave of hysteria swept the country and nearly 112,000 Japanese-American citizens came under suspicion as to their loyalty to the United States. As a result, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the War Relocation Authority by Executive Order no. 9066 on May 18, 1942, with the power to relocate intern those people of Japanese ancestry, residing on the west coast of the United States.
Under the auspices of the War Relocation Authority, the Rohwer relocation center was established on September 18, 1942. The first of some 8,500 Japanese - Americans arrived at Rohwer for internment on that date.
In February, 1943, the U.S. army established the famed 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regimental combat team, an all Nisei unit. This unit served with great valor and distinguished itself in the European theatre. Ironically, the families of this unit remained interned.
We are proud to remember that the 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regiment were the most highly decorated of all units during WWII. The most courageous and notable battles, fought by the units included those at Salerno, Anzio and Cassino, as well as the rescue of the Texas 'lost battalion'.
It should be remembered that during the internment years thousands of Japanese-Americans volunteered or were drafted to serve in military intelligence operations in the Pacific War with Japan. Three decades following the end of WWII information was finally made public which described the valor and courage exhibited by these individuals and their secret contribution to the Pacific victory.
At the end of WWII, on November 30, 1945, last Japanese-American left Rohwer ending 3½ years of internment.
This memorial is also dedicated to the memory of the many Japanese-Americans from Rohwer that gave their lives that others might enjoy the freedoms which they and their families were denied.
PFC. Fred S. Yasuda - France
PFC. Cooper Tahara - France
PFC. Kay K. Masaoka - France
PFC. Takeo Kaneichi - France
PFC. Joe Nishimoto - France
SGT. Akira Otsubo - France
SGT. Stanley Ichiki - Germany
CPL Toshio Hozaki - Italy
PFC. Takeo Ninomiya - Italy
PFC. Tatsuo Yoshizaki - Italy
SGT William Imamoto - Italy
CPL. Robert Kishi - Italy
SGT. Iwao Takahashi - Italy
CPL. George Kawano - Italy
CPL. Teruo Hozaki - Italy
Sam Yutaka Yada
April 20, 1905 - April 19, 1991
In honor & memory of Sam Yutaka Yada who during his life here in Arkansas 1942-1991 worked for the national recognition and the preservation and restoration of this cemetery.
PVT. Susumu Okura - France
PFC. Masuto Sakado - France
PFC. George Saito - France
PFC. Calvin Saito - Italy
SGT. Zenichi Masuda - Italy
SGT. Togo Sugiyama - Italy
SGT. Roy A. Shimatsu - Italy
SGT. Ted. T. Tanouye - Italy
CPL. Yoshinori Sakai - France
SGT. Seichi Nakamoto - France
PFC. Bob Kameoka - France
CPL. George Nakamura - France
PFC. Ko Tanaka - France
PFC. Masaru Tashima - France
PFG. George Okokawa - France
PFC. Minoru Yoshida - France
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans • Civil Rights • Heroes • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is May 18, 1942.
Location. 33° 45.984′ N, 91° 16.799′ W. Memorial is in Rohwer, Arkansas, in Desha County. It can be reached from State Highway 1 half a mile north of Rohwer Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Memorial is in this post office area: Rohwer AR 71666, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in the Arkansas Delta, in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, and in the Quapaw Homeland. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in the Upper South, in the Mississippi Delta, in the Piney Woods, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: We Lived & Died Here (within shouting distance of this marker); Making A Living (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Trying To Make A Home (about 400 feet away); A Look Back In Time (about 700 feet away); I Am An American (approx. Ό mile away); Taken Away (approx. Ό mile away); Rohwer Japanese American Relocation Center (approx. Ό mile away); Why Us? Why Here? (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rohwer.

Historic American Landscapes Survey (courtesy Library of Congress)
6. Title Sheet - Rohwer Relocation Center Memorial Cemetery
Significance: The Rohwer Relocation Center Memorial Cemetery in Rohwer, Arkansas is the most intact remnant of the former Rohwer Japanese-American internment camp, and as such it is the most powerful visible reminder of this difficult period of history. The Rohwer cemetery is also one of only three remaining cemeteries in the ten camps that were created during World War II to hold United States citizens and immigrants of Japanese descent (the other two are in Manzanar, California, and Granada, Colorado).
Click for more information.
Click for more information.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 4, 2021, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 579 times since then and 78 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week May 17, 2026. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 4, 2021, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. 6. submitted on May 17, 2026.




