Dave

I grieve for my father and promise to stand for the values of him and all our brothers and sisters that now fight for the same rights he strived for every day.

Today, we do not say goodbye to just one man.
We honor a lineage of courage.
We honor a life that stood tall in the shadow of history.
We honor a legacy that lives on - in his family, in his values, and in the generations who will carry his story forward.

That sense of responsibility never left him.

To our family he was steady, the kind of man whose presence alone made things feel safer. He taught without preaching. He showed strength without noise. His values were evident in how he loved, how he endured, and how he carried himself with humility.

He served in the United States Army during the Vietnam era, stationed in Germany in a tank division at the front edge of a tense and uncertain world. He did not serve for recognition. He served because duty mattered. Because protecting something larger than yourself mattered.

They fought in Italy and France, rescued the Lost Texas Battalion against impossible odds, and became symbols not just of bravery, but of belief in the promise of America itself.

And he carried that legacy forward in his own life of service.

They earned over 18,000 awards, including 21 Medals of Honor, thousands of Purple Hearts, and in 2011, the Congressional Gold Medal, awarded for their extraordinary accomplishments.

These Japanese American soldiers, fighting for a nation that had confined their families, became the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in United States military history.

Lee Ikegami's uncles served in what history now recognizes as the most celebrated Japanese American fighting force of World War II: the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team the legendary “Go For Broke” regiment.

That beginning could have hardened a man. Instead, it forged one of quiet strength, dignity, and resolve.

From that injustice rose a legacy of courage.

He was born at the Japanese reallocation camp, Heart Mountain Relocation Center during World War II, behind barbed wire, at a moment when fear overcame justice and American citizens were asked to prove their loyalty simply because of their ancestry.

Today we laid my Japanese American father Lee Ikegami to rest. We gathered to honor an extraordinary man, a husband, a father, a grandfather, & a living bridge to some of the most profound chapters of American history.

New hallway art.

Cowplant Graveyard Adventure Playland. @cottoneesocks.bsky.social your miniatures are amazing and precious

Happy trailer day

Rawr!
I mean Mooo!
MooRawr!

🫠🤣
Anonymous coworker wrapped up my Sims Spark'd headshot for the office white elephant party. So embarrassing. I was tickled that it was stolen and locked.

That dad joke is McDonalds.

I’m lovin’ it.

My fav:

You: What’s a Pirates favorite letter?

Them: R (arrrrgh)

You: Aye, you think it’d be the R (Arrrrgh), but in truth ‘tis the C (sea) that stays close to me heart.

What’s blue and not heavy?

… light blue

Miss you!

She tolerates me.

I'm a lucky dude

Hoping to hear how it goes. Happy holidays!

High school friends turned love interests. The plot thickens.

How'd it go!? Hope you had fun.

My wife any time I tell a bad joke.
(bless her soul 💚)

Right back at you!

There’s more good in this world than bad; despite the relentless rage baiting suggesting otherwise. I hope you make a new friend today and experience a little of that goodness. Stay strong and happy out there! You are valued.

CONGRATULATIONS!

When it got dark we scared so many kids 😏