By Ethen Lieser
©2001 AsianWeek.com
July 27, 2001
There are few equals when comparing what Jackie Robinson did for baseball and civil rights. His achievements are recorded in history books, documentaries and museums. But there was someone else during Robinson’s era that turned some heads, but failed to be recognized through time.
His name is Francis Wai.
Wai, a standout four-sport athlete at UCLA from 1937 and 1938, mirrored Robinson’s achievements on and off the field. Robinson attended UCLA in 1939 and 1940 and was also a four-sport athlete. But Wai, somehow, got lost in the shuffle. That’s why Meredith Lee, 19, a UCLA student majoring in Asian American Studies and her father, Ron, decided to probe into the astonishing life of Wai.
Meredith Lee’s spark in interest came from a Japanese American Citizens League newsletter, where there was a large article on the history of Japanese Americans fighting in World War II. When Lee ran across Francis Wai’s name, she recognized it was Chinese, and felt that he was being clumped together with the rest of the Japanese Americans. She later proposed a Francis Wai research project to a UCLA professor, and her idea was accepted.
“Francis Wai deserves his own recognition,” Lee said. “I think every community needs heroes and inspiration, someone to look up to. Reading about your own kind of people in your textbooks, and having education representing who you are, is very important. You need to see yourself in American history.”
Wai graduated from UCLA in 1939 with a B.S. in Banking and Finance
Said Ron Lee, who is Meredith’s research assistant: “The contingent here is that there are no Asian American heroes. It is significant because I don’t think Asian Americans are really accepted into American society unless the American society recognizes their heroes.”
The son of a Chinese father and Hawaiian mother, Wai grew up in Honolulu and honed his athletic skills by surfing on Waikiki beach with the likes of Olympic swimmers Duke Kahanomoku, “the father of modern surfing,” and Buster Crabbe, who later went on to become a Hollywood star.
In 1935, Wai graduated from Punahou School and lettered in baseball, track and football. Wai went on to Sacramento Junior College, where he continued to excel in athletics, before transferring to UCLA in 1937. But according to Meredith Lee, her attempts to exhume the achievements of Wai are not to take anything away from Robinson, but to give recognition to a real American hero.
While Robinson changed the game of baseball forever when he broke the color barrier in 1947, Wai did something more special. He died on an island in the Philippines for his country.
After college, Wai, with a degree in finance, was eager to work for his father, Kim, who worked in the real estate department for the Bishop National Bank, which would later become the Bank of Hawaii. But Wai did not get a chance to start his business career — World War II would call.
As a member of the Hawaiian National Guard, Wai was called into active duty in 1940. He eventually became Captain Francis Wai and was assigned to the General George MacArthur-led 34th infantry regiment of the 24th infantry division, which was extremely active in combat in the Pacific.
The 34th infantry regiment was one of the first units to see action in World War II, as they were guarding the north shore of Oahu when the Pearl Harbor attack occurred in 1941. Unit decorations included an arrowhead, which signified that they were the first to land in an amphibious assault. But even after showcasing his courage and patriotism, the U.S. government did not recognize Wai with the Congressional Medal of Honor until the 1999 act of Congress that mandated a review of war records of Asian American soldiers in World War II. Along with 21 other Asian Americans, Wai finally received his overdue honor in May of 2000 from former President Bill Clinton.
The official description of his landing and death on the Filipino island is given in the U.S. Army citation:
“Captain Francis B. Wai distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action, on 20 October 1944, in Leyte, Philippine Islands. Captain Wai landed at Red Beach, Leyete, in the face of accurate, concentrated enemy fire from gun positions advantageously located in a palm grove bounded by submerged rice paddies. Finding the first four waves of American soldiers leaderless, disorganized, and pinned down on the open beach, he immediately assumed command. Issuing clear and concise orders, and disregarding heavy enemy machine gun and rifle fire, he began to move inland through the rice paddies without cover. The men, inspired by his cool demeanor and heroic example, rose from their positions and followed him. During the advance, Captain Wai repeatedly determined the locations of enemy strong points by deliberately exposing himself to draw their fire. In leading an assault upon the last remaining Japanese pillbox in the area, he was killed by its occupants. Captain Wai’s courageous, aggressive leadership &Mac253;nspired the men, even after his death, to advance and destroy the enemy. His intrepid and determined efforts were largely responsible for the rapidity with which the initial beachhead was secured. Captain Wai’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to dut‰ are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.”
For Meredith Lee, these historical accounts only emphasize the need for Wai to be remembered, and regarded as a hero. As the puzzle comes together on Wai’s life, Ron Lee has also benefited from Meredith’s unrelenting desire to bring the achievements of Wai into the forefront of Asian American history.
&Mac253;Because of Meredith, I sort of have a rekindled interest in Asian American history,” Ron Lee said. “I had never known about the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 or even thought much about it. But looking at its context, what it really says is, that of all the racial groups in America, Asian Americans really haven’t been accepted yet. And one of the clear indications of that is that we don’t recognize any Asian American heroes.”
Now, thanks to the work of a 19-year-old student, that hero is surfacing.
