Madison retiree awarded highest civilian award

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A retired Madison architect is among the Japanese-American veterans given an overdue thank you from their country in Washington.

Eighty-nine-year-old Henry Kanazawa received the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol.

The State Journal says Kanazawa was drafted and assigned to the Military Intelligence Service to interrogate prisoners and provide translation services in the Philippines and later, after Japan surrendered, in an area north of Tokyo.

In all, about 19,000 Japanese-Americans served in the units honored at a ceremony Wednesday: the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service.