The Volunteer Vaquero From the President s Pen July 2013 Wow. June has just flown by. In retirement I have acquired a part time job with my position as president. I find that a lot of my time is spent doing little things for the organization. I ve taken over scheduling the information desk for July and August. So, for July, if you see a problem with a time that has, or hasn t, your name on it just call me, or email me and I will take care of it. I will have a blank August schedule placed at the Information Desk soon so you can start filling it in. Also, if you have the time to spare and would like to help me organize the records and files I would be more than happy to accept your offer. The Board would also like to hear from the membership with ideas, comments, complaints or just your thoughts by writing to the editor, Nicki, in a new Letters to the Editor column. This is your organization and should be membership driven and I would like to hear from you. Email Nicki and tell other members some of your thoughts. The Board meetings are also open to all members who would like to attend. They are held every third Wednesday of each month at the Museum starting at 1:00. See you there. Well, the Fourth of July will be upon us soon and then before you
know it Cheyenne Frontier Days and then our own Arts and Craft Fair on August 10 th. So, don t forget we can always use more help doing it. Other news has it that Carolyn Turbiville is coming out of retirement to assist me with the Historic Homes Walk scheduled for late September. I will tell you more on that topic next month. I hope you all have a great Independence Day. ************************************************************ Artifact of the Month Submitted by Jim Allison Megaphone of General Tomoyuki Yamashita G 1983.26.21 Photo: US National Archives and Records Administration Ref: 292615
In 1946, an American military commission decided in United States v. Yamashita that a commander can be held responsible for all atrocities committed by his troops. This decision became known as the Yamashita Standard and is still the basis for war crimes trials today. It developed from the prosecution of General Tomoyuki Yamashita for acts committed by Japanese soldiers in the Philippines near the end of World War II. Tomoyuki Yamashita was born in Japan in 1885. By the early 1900s, he was committed to being a career soldier. In 1941, Yamashita was put in command of the Japanese attack on Malaya. He captured Singapore in 1942, capturing 130,000 allied soldiers with only 30,000 of his own. War crimes by Japanese soldiers happened often during World War II, and in Singapore a unit under Yamashita s command bayoneted to death 321 allied patients in a hospital. Thousands of Chinese were also rounded up and shot over several weeks. Yamashita had the officer responsible for the hospital massacre executed along with a number of other soldiers. He then personally apologized to the massacre survivors. However, he would soon have to answer for even worse atrocities committed by Japanese troops. In 1944, Yamashita was called upon to coordinate the defense of the Philippines against American attack. After several months of heavy fighting, he surrendered his forces on September 2, 1945. On September 25, Yamashita was charged with war crimes for what was known as the Manila Massacre where Japanese soldiers went on a rampage destroying much of that Philippine city and killing thousands. The reason for his charge was not that he had given orders for the massacre, but that as commanding officer he was responsible for the actions of his men.
Major George Guy was born in Cheyenne in 1904 and obtained his law degree from the University of Wyoming in 1927. Guy was serving with the 8 th Army Headquarters in the Pacific when he was told that he, along with five other attorneys, was to be appointed to defend Yamashita during the war crimes trial. The proceedings, which took place in the Philippines, were followed closely around the world and while the crimes carried out by Japanese soldiers were never in doubt, who could be held responsible for their actions was, and still is, strongly debated. Major Guy believed the Japanese general was innocent of the crimes for which he was accused. Japanese communication during the battle for the Philippines was largely destroyed by American forces. The massacre was committed by troops technically under Yamashita s command, but with whom he had little or no contact. The defense lawyers argued that Yamashita could not have known about the massacre due to the intensely chaotic situation. However, the officers presiding over the military commission firmly stated that as the overall commander of Japanese forces in the Philippines, Yamashita was guilty because he was fully responsible for all actions of his troops. The general was sentenced to hang. Yamashita's American attorneys filed an appeal first at the Supreme Court of the Philippines, and then the United States Supreme Court. Both the Philippine and U.S. Supreme Court refused the appeal. As a final effort, Yamashita's lawyers filed for clemency at the desk of President Harry Truman. The president declined to act upon it. Yamashita was hanged on February 23, 1946. Before his execution, he thanked the American military for his treatment since surrender and gave some of his personal possessions to the lawyers of his defense team. This megaphone, used by General Yamashita to talk to troops, was given to Major Guy.
Tomoyuki Yamashita's Defense Lawyers, October, 1945. Seated: Lt. Col. Gordon Feldhaus, Col. Harry E. Clarke, Sr., Lt. Col. Walter Hendricks. Standing: Capt. Frank Reel, Maj. George Guy, Capt. Milton Sandberg Photo: http://ww2db.com/ The Yamashita trial and Yamashita Standard still play an important role in war crimes trials around the world. A command accountability doctrine has been added to the Geneva Convention and was adopted by the International Criminal Court. Command accountability law was applied to dozens of trials in the international tribunal that investigated atrocities in the former Yugoslavia. George Guy returned to Cheyenne after the war where he ran a successful law firm for a total of 53 years. He represented Laramie County as a Republican in the State House during the 30 th Legislature, and
served as State Attorney General from 1955 57. Although his team was unsuccessful in their defense of General Yamashita, Guy maintained a friendship with the Yamashita family for many years. He was never in doubt about the importance of the trial in which he took part. It was indeed a dramatic moment and history was being made in the field of international law, for this was the first time in American history that a commander of a defeated enemy army was convicted as a war criminal upon the theory of command responsibility alone. Editor s Musings I imagine most of you remember the story of Chicken Little? You know, the one about the little chick that ran around the chicken yard hollerin about the sky is falling, the sky is falling! Well, I took this picture last week outside our door and it just reminded me so much of that children s story that I titled this picture Chicken Little Syndrome. The wonder of our skies here is so incredible that I am always blown away by the sheer size of it! The beauty that flows from Heaven is surely here in Cheyenne skies. After all, we have the biggest mass of blue sky of anywhere I ve ever been and that includes the Big Sky state of Montana. The cool thing about all that mass is that you get to see some really incredible sunrises, sunsets and storm fronts as they roll across the great expanse of Wyoming. We are sure in need of some rain again and I was really hoping that those clouds were going to drop some on us, but no such luck. So it s back to praying and doing those rain dances in our back yards!
Get in touch with me and let me know what you want to see or read about in this newsletter. I m always open for something fresh and new or old and interesting. Til next time! ******************************************************************* JULY BIRTHDAYS JULY 4 TH ~ OUR NATION S INDEPENDENCE If your birthday is in this month, forgive me for not putting it here. I have packed the list and can t find it.so.happy BIRTHDAY TO ALL OF YOU BORN IN JULY! ******************************************************************* Have you paid your 2013 membership dues? If not, hope you will soon! ******************************************************************* Our Board of Directors Heyward Schrock - President Kim Stevens Deb Millblom Linda Burton Mark Brammer Advisor Editor - Vice President - Secretary - Treasurer - Ex Officio - Beverly Goodman - Nicki Arcangeli
About the Organization From the inception in 1974, the WY State Museum Volunteers have been instrumental in assisting the art and education programs of the Wyoming State Museum. Their tie to these programming sections of the Museum remains strong today. Volunteers at the Wyoming State Museum are an important link between the Museum s professional services and the public it serves. In human terms, they represent the Museum s mission to the public. This is where we will have Letters to the Editor We want you all to be a part of this Newsletter. If you have ideas, thoughts, concerns, or just want to throw out some information that might interest us, bring it on! Let s get some letters going! Email them to me by the 20 th of each month at acornranch89@yahoo.com or drop it in the snail mail by the 18 th and address it to: Nicki Arcangeli P. O. Box 21656 Cheyenne 82003 ************************************************************* OK, here is a what am I? Tell us what it is, what it is made out of and where it is! (Answer will be in the next edition)
Volunteer Schedule MONTH of JULY Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mike?? Deb CLOSED Mitty N Alice HAPPY 4 TH!! Harriett Judy Binger Dorothy Cara? 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 CLOSED Mike?? Kristen & Pam Barbara N Mitty N Alice Harriett Judy Binger Dorothy James Hart Cara Carolyn W 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 CLOSED Mike Dick Hart Carolyn T Mitty N? Sharon???? James Hart Cara Carolyn W 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 CLOSED Mike Dick Hart? Mitty N Ann Pris Harriett Judy Binger James Hart Cara Estelle 28 29 30 31 CLOSED Mike Dick Hart Linda Harriett Judy Binger Glenda