Frank-Tanabe-Obituary

Frank Tanabe

Obituary

HONOLULU (AP) — A World War II veteran whose effort to vote from his deathbed inspired thousands has died a week after casting his final ballot.

Frank Tanabe passed away peacefully Wednesday at the Honolulu home of his daughter, where he's been in hospice treatment for the past few weeks after being diagnosed with an inoperable cancer tumor in his liver. He was 93.

His daughter Barbara Tanabe said she put the American flag up outside the home to mark the day for him and their family.

"He really liked it when I put out the flag," she said.

Hundreds of thousands of Internet users saw a photo of Frank Tanabe filling out his absentee ballot with the help of his daughter last week, when his grandson posted the picture on the social media site Reddit.

The image and his determination to vote on his sick bed struck a chord and prompted many to thank Frank Tanabe for his service and praise his patriotism. The story spread further when The Associated Press and other media organizations wrote about the photo and the response it generated online.

Tanabe served in a mostly Japanese-American unit of the Military Intelligence Service during the war, interrogating Japanese prisoners in India and China.

He volunteered for the Army from an internment camp where the U.S. government sent him as part of a policy to detain and isolate 110,000 Japanese-Americans after the start of the war with Japan. He spent time in both the Tule Lake camp in California and the Minidoka camp in Idaho.

Decades later, Tanabe explained how he felt in an interview for a documentary tribute to Japanese-American veterans.

"I wanted to do my part to prove that I was not an enemy alien, or that none of us were — that we were true Americans. And if we ever got the chance, we would do our best to serve our country. And we did," he said.

Congress gave its highest civilian honor to Tanabe and other Japanese-American veterans of the war last year when it awarded the Congressional Gold Medal collectively to those who served in the MIS, the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Barbara Tanabe said she told her father about the news coverage his vote was getting, including stories that appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on the front page of the Idaho Statesman.

"I was thinking these are the two big newspapers in Idaho and California, where he went to camp," Barbara said. "It's just a nice way to look back at history and say that things do turn out OK."

Honolulu elections officials say Frank Tanabe's vote will be counted unless they receive his death certificate before the Nov. 6 election and they're able to find his ballot from among the tens of thousands of ballots mailed in.

This generally isn't practical, so like most cases when a voter dies after he or she casts an absentee ballot, his ballot will likely be counted.

His family knows which candidates he chose, but they've decided to keep that information private.

Barbara Tanabe said it's not important who her father voted for — it's the voting itself that makes a difference.



AUDREY McAVOY,Associated Press


Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Guest Book

Not sure what to say?

Was this the Frank Tanabe who served as the Navy Public Affairs Officer in Okinawa? If so, I served under him in 1974-75. He was a wise and gentle man of few words and deep integrity. I was young and restless during that time, and Frank was a constant source of dignity and self-control. I doubt that he ever knew what a lasting influence he had on many of us. He was supremely proud of his daughter.

Thank you, Frank. And thank you, Tanabe Family, for sharing him with us. I am grateful that I learned of this speacial man. God Bless you all!

Thank you Frank. God bless you and yours, and all who sacrificed and were touched by you--- every citizen of America and the world, who fight for right, good, and freedom. You're a true hero.

TO THE TANABE FAMILY,SORRY FOR THE LOSS,"HAPPY ARE THOSE WHO MOURN,SINCE THEY SHALL BE COMFORTED"..........

Frank is an example of what a true American is ......Thank you frank for you service to our country and may u rest in peace

Thank you for your service and dedication to our country.
U.S. Navy Veteran, Salt Lake city, Utah.

Thank you for your service to our country and for showing others that we should never take our right to vote lightly. You have shown by example that voting is a solemn duty. Everyone, please VOTE! God bless you and the loved ones you left behind. We are lifting the family up in our prayers. The Lord draws very close to those who mourn. Blessings and peace to the family of this patriot.