Earl M. Finch

Earl Melvin Finch (December 5, 1915 - August 25, 1965) is known for his work with Japanese-American soldiers during and after World War II.

Early life

Earl Finch was born on December 5, 1915, near Ovett, Mississippi. By his late twenties he was a successful businessman in Hattiesburg. He owned a clothing store on Market Street, the Earl Finch Company, as well as a second-hand furniture store and a bowling alley.

World War II

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, over 1000 Nisei (American children of Japanese parents) of the Hawaiian National Guard were sent to the US mainland where they became the 100th Infantry Battalion. In early 1943 they were sent to train at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, along with members of the 442nd Infantry Regiment, also made up of Nisei soldiers. The soldiers weren't welcome at the local USO canteen, and were generally mistrusted by the local population. One night in April Finch saw two Nisei soldiers and invited them to his home for dinner. Later he bought a 350 acre farm and invited 100 soldiers to visit to eat watermelon. Soon he was organizing dances, bringing Japanese-American girls from a relocation camp to dance with the men. He organized the Aloha Canteen, the only USO canteen for Japanese-American soldiers. He organized trips to New Orleans, and when hotels in New Orleans were reluctant to give rooms to the Nisei he bought a small hotel in the French Quarter. He arranged for soldiers to have access to their traditional foods. He would write letters to Nisei soldiers deployed in Europe, and would visit the families of Nisei soldiers killed in combat.

After the war

Finch relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1949, where he continued his philanthropy. He died of a heart attack in 1965 at the age of 49. He is buried at the Diamond Head Memorial Park in Honolulu.