Page 4 - aruba-today-20201112

A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 12 November 2020
National museum dedicated to Army debuts on Veterans Day

By MATTHEW BARAKAT the 100th Infantry Battalion
Associated Press (Separate), comprised of
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (AP) — more than 1,400 Nisei who
A sword from the defense were removed from their
of Fort McHenry in the War regular units and organized
of 1812. A stopped wrist- into a separate battalion.
watch recovered from "Their families were put into
the wrecked E-Ring of the internment camps, and
Pentagon on the Sept. 11 here they are giving their
attacks. The Sherman tank lives against an enemy to
that first broke through en- prove their loyalty to this
emy lines at the Battle of country," Morando said. "I
the Bulge in World War II. think that's not well known."
Those are just a few of the The museum worked with
artifacts that tell the 245- the National Veterans Net-
year story of the nation's work, a consortium of or-
largest and oldest military ganizations that promotes
branch at the new Nation- awareness of the Japa-
al Museum of the United nese American experience
States Army. during World War II, to col-
Planning for the museum lect artifacts from families
has been in the works for for display at the exhibit,
more than a decade, and which will be in place for
construction began in three years.
2017. Early plans called for "They weren't looked upon
an opening in late 2019, as Americans. They were
but delays pushed it back A marker commemorating the service of Sgt. William Carney, a former slave who served in the looked upon with suspi-
54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry Regiment and became the first African American Medal of
to 2020, and then the pan- Honor recipient, is displayed outside the new National Museum of the United States Army on Tues- cion," said Christine Sato-
demic hit. Those delays, day, Nov. 10, 2020, in Fort Belvoir, Va. Yamazaki, the NVN's ex-
though, provided an op- Associated Press ecutive director. "It's a rich
portunity for a debut that and powerful story about
coincides with Veterans the goal is to tell the stories the more sensitive sub- is the Army's use of Japa- loyalty and patriotism."
Day. of soldiers who served, and jects the Army's been in- nese American soldiers in Among the donated items:
"We can see the relics and tell some of the stories that volved in," he said. "We segregated combat units a senninbari, a cloth belt
hear the stories through the may not be as well known mention My Lai. We men- during World War II. The worn by Staff Sgt. Jimmy
eyes and ears" of the sol- to the general public. tion Abu Ghraib. We men- 442nd Regimental Combat Mizote under his uniform,
diers who served, said Army "We didn't want to make a tion Wounded Knee. These Team was formed in 1943 believed to confer protec-
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman hallway of heroes," he said. events are put out in a after more than 12,000 tion in Japanese culture
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Morando said the museum factual way for the public second-generation Japa- to a warrior who wore it.
at a ribbon-cutting cere- does not shy away from dis- to interpret or learn more nese Americans, known as Mizote's was made by his
mony Wednesday. cussing painful aspects of about, but we do not ig- Nisei, responded to a call mother while she was de-
Paul Morando, chief of ex- Army history. nore those subjects." for volunteers. The Combat tained in an internment
hibits at the museum, said "We don't shy away from One issue explored in detail Team's first battalion was camp.q

Texas becomes 1st state to surpass 1 million COVID-19 cases

ed 1,010,364 coronavirus day, an estimated 132,146 March to 16,558. Of those,
cases with 19,337 deaths cases are active, the most 934 cases are active, the
since the pandemic be- since Aug. 17, and 6,170 most in two months, and
gan in early March, ac- COVID-19 cases are hos- 73 require hospitalization.
cording to the count on pitalized, the most since One new death was re-
the Johns Hopkins website. Aug. 18. ported Tuesday, bringing
Texas had recently sur- There were 94 new deaths the city's COVID-19 death
passed California, the Tuesday, according to the toll to 367.
most populous state, in re- Texas Department of State The surge comes as El
cording the highest num- Health Services. Paso, another border city,
ber of positive coronavirus Meanwhile, cases of the grapples with a recent
tests. The true number of coronavirus that causes tsunami of cases. Another
infections is likely higher COVID-19 are surging in 1,292 cases were reported
because many people the Laredo area as the in El Paso County on Tues-
haven't been tested, and borderlands remained a day, bringing its pandemic
In this Oct. 14, 2020, file photo, vehicles are lined up for drive- studies suggest people COVID-19 hotbed Tues- count to 65,651 with 27,895
thru COVID-19 testing in El Paso, Texas can be infected and not day, health officials said. cases now active and
Associated Press feel sick. Laredo health officials 1,076 requiring hospital-
Texas recorded 10,865 reported 331 new cases ization. Nine new deaths
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas infections, according to cases on Tuesday, setting Tuesday of the coronavi- brought the county's CO-
has become the first U.S. data from Johns Hopkins a new daily record that rus, the most since the Aug. VID-19 death toll to 682.
state with more than 1 mil- University early Wednes- surpassed by 74 cases an 10 peak of 374 cases. That The higher counts come
lion confirmed COVID-19 day. old mark set July 15, state brought the area's case amid intensive test-
cases as the nation con- The nation's second-most officials said. According count for the pandemic ing in both places and
tinues to face a surge of populous state has record- to state figures on Tues- since the beginning of statewide.q