jawtex : photos : "Most Honorable Son" Premiere : Former U.S. Army Air Corps bomber gunner Ben Kuroki, a native of Nebraska, acknowledges the appreciation from a crowd of over 600 invited guests after they've just seen the premiere of Bill Kubota's documentary film about him, "Most Honorable Son." The film, which included a taped introduction by Tom Brokaw, was shown in the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska on Aug 1st, 2007. "Most Honorable Son" will be premiered nationally on PBS on Mon, Sep 17th, 2007, 8:00p CDT.- powered by SmugMug

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On Wed, Aug 1st, 2007, the documentary film "Most Honorable Son," about Nebraska-born Ben Kuroki was premiered at a private showing in the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska. Over 600 invited guests were in attendance, including several WWII Army Air Corps vets, some of them Ben's comrades in arms who flew in the same bombardment group. The film was produced by Bill Kubota of KDN Films in Michigan. It's the story of Ben Kuroki, the only American-born Japanese-American who was allowed to fly in heavy bombers with the U.S. Army Air Corps over Europe and Japan during WWII. Ben flew 30 missions as a gunner in B-24 Liberator bombers over Europe and North Africa, including the famous raid over Hitler's oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania on Aug 1st, 1943, 64 years to the day before the documentary premiered in Lincoln. After overcoming almost insurmountable obstacles from commanders and policies because of his ethnicity, Ben was finally given an exception to policy from Secretary of War Henry Stimson that allowed him to fly to the Pacific Theatre to fly bombing missions over Japan as a tail gunner in a B-29 bomber that named "Honorable Sad Saki" by his crew in his honor. The film will premiere nationally on PBS on Monday night, Sep 17th, 2007, 8:00p CDT, six nights before Ken Burns' documentary "The War," which begins on Sun night, Sep 23rd, also airing on PBS. Here's a few pix of that special event in Lincoln.

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jawtex > Left, former B-24 Liberator pilot Bill Bergen, 98th Bombardment Group, Ploesti raid vet, Aug 1st, 1943. Captured after the raid. Beside him is former 93rd Bombardment Group vet and tail gunner, Robert Sparks. (See photo of him elsewhere in this gallery for some interesting info about him.)

jawtex > Ben Kuroki is interviewed by local Lincoln, Nebraska media before the premiere of the documentary film about him, "Most Honorable Son," is shown in the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lincoln, Aug 1st, 2007. Seated with him at the table is a former vet and friend who intervened for Ben on Tinian Island when a drunken U.S. serviceman, irritated by Ben's Japanese ethnicity and made brave by the liquor, gave Ben a severe knife wound to the head. Standing to Ben's left is former 98th Bomb Group B-24 pilot Bill Bergen.

jawtex > Lt Col (Ret) Edward "Red" Weir, former WWII B-24 Liberator bomber navigator, is dressed for the occasion of the premiere of the documentary film about his friend and former crewmate, Ben Kuroki, who was a gunner on two B-24 bombers with Edward. The film is titled "Most Honorable Son," and it was premiered in the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska on Aug 1st, 2007. Ed sports his multiple awards of the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

jawtex > Former B-24 Liberator bomber navigator George Temple, 44th Bombardment Group, Ploesti bombing raid vet, Aug 1st, 1943. Due to battle damage to his plane, he had to bail out over enemy territory and was taken prisoner. When the hospital in which he was being treated for a broken ankle (from the parachute landing) was accidentally bombed by Americans, he escaped through the rubble, and in a few days, with two other wounded American PW's, he made it back to Allied lines in Italy. He later attended British escape and evasion training, after which he returned Stateside and taught E & E to American flyers. Taken Aug 1st, 2007, Lincoln, Nebraska.

jawtex > Former B-24 bomber pilot and president of the 93rd Bombardment Group Association, Fernley Smith, toasts his friend and former 93rd Bomb Group gunner Ben Kuroki, who was honored at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska on Aug 1st, 2007, on the occasion of the world premiere of the documentary film about Ben, "Most Honorable Son." As president of the Association, Fernley, who was the second youngest bomber pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII, forwarded written statements by a small handful of his former crewmates to the Dept of the Army in support of their quest to have Ben's last Distinguished Flying Cross upgraded to the Distinguished Service Medal, which was awarded to him in 2005.

jawtex > Former WWII B-24 bomber navigator Ed Weir reads a short speech in praise of his friend and former crewmate, Ben Kuroki, before the world premiere of the documentary film about Ben, "Most Honorable Son" is viewed by over 600 invited guests at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska on Aug 1st, 2007. By providing written eyewitness testimony to the Dept of the Army, Ed was one of the handful of Ben's living former comrades who was instrumental in getting Ben's last Distinguished Flying Cross medal upgraded to the Distinguished Service Medal in 2005.

jawtex > Former U.S. Army Air Corps bomber gunner Ben Kuroki, a native of Nebraska, acknowledges the appreciation from a crowd of over 600 invited guests after they've just seen the premiere of Bill Kubota's documentary film about him, "Most Honorable Son." The film, which included a taped introduction by Tom Brokaw, was shown in the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska on Aug 1st, 2007. "Most Honorable Son" will be premiered nationally on PBS on Mon, Sep 17th, 2007, 8:00p CDT.

jawtex > American WWII vet Ben Kuroki, a former gunner on 58 missions in B-24 and B-29 heavy bombers, acknowledges a standing ovation for him as he makes his way to the podium to make a speech after a crowd of over 600 invited guests have just finished watching the world premiere of Bill Kubota's documentary film about him, "Most Honorable Son," at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska on Aug 1st, 2007. On his right lapel Ben displays the Distinguished Service Medal, which his former crewmates and veterans' association members lobbied to have bestowed on him in 2005.

jawtex > Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman welcomes WWII vet and subject of the documentary "Most Honorable Son" onto the stage inside the ballroom of the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska, where the private premiere of the film was held on Aug 1st, 2007. The film premieres nationally on PBS on Mon, Sep 17th, 2007, 8:00p CDT. The film depicts Ben's struggles to overcome the policies and attitudes of some commanders and comrades in the U.S. Army Air Corps towards him because of his Japanese ethnicity, although he was born and raised as an American citizen in Hershey, Nebraska. He eventually won the right to fight for his country, completing 58 combat missions over Europe, North Africa, and Japan.

Former U.S. Army Air Corps bomber gunner Ben Kuroki, a native of Nebraska, acknowledges the appreciation from a crowd of over 600 invited guests after they've just seen the premiere of Bill Kubota's documentary film about him, "Most Honorable Son." The film, which included a taped introduction by Tom Brokaw, was shown in the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska on Aug 1st, 2007. "Most Honorable Son" will be premiered nationally on PBS on Mon, Sep 17th, 2007, 8:00p CDT.