John Sammon

John Sammon is a freelance writer and newspaper reporter, novelist and historical fiction writer, non-fiction book writer, political pundit and column writer, comedy and humor writer, screenplay writer, film narrator and a member of the Screen Actors Guild. He lives with his wife near Pebble Beach.

Updated March 2018

war en

Sacramento Area Man Goes from Concentration Camp to Role in Monument Preserving History

  • Por John Sammon
  • 16 Feb 2021

Tom Okubo has had a long and successful life.

The 95 year old Sacramento man exhibits little bitterness from his experience as a former inmate of a concentration camp that imprisoned him for no reason other than his ancestry. He went on to assist in the establishment of a State Historic Monument at the site helping to preserve history.

So hopefully it will not be forgotten.

Okubo thought back to the time when as a teenager during World War II he was imprisoned at the Tule Lake War Relocation Authority Camp in Siskiyou County in a remote part of Northeastern ...

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Sacramento Area Attorney Wants the Word “Internment” Corrected in Usage

  • Por John Sammon
  • 13 Ene 2021

Yoshinori H.T. Himel, called “Toso” for his middle name by his many friends, would like to see the word “internment” stricken from common usage. He said it distorts history.

“I’d like to see it (internment) used correctly,” Himel said. “It’s been used as a euphemism for a race-based incarceration of Japanese Americans.” 

On Oct. 29 Himel was honored by the Sacramento Bar Association as “Pro Bono Attorney of the Year,” an attorney who takes cases without a fee for reasons of idealism and the pursuit of justice. 

Internment, the word for the imprisonment of mostly American citizens ...

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San Jose Area Man’s Life Shaped by Sports and Athletes

  • Por John Sammon
  • 6 Ene 2021

Blake Sasaki has been involved in sports almost his entire life, and if you ask him what has been the biggest joy, he will tell you watching athletes develop.

“It (sports) has been my life,” Sasaki said. “It’s my career, my family. If I wasn’t working in sports I don’t know what I would do. The end result is the game, but my greatest joy is seeing a freshman student athlete come into our program still a bit like a child, and then see them graduate as an adult. It’s like watching your own kids grow ...

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New San Jose Uzumaru Dance Group Blends Traditional and Modern Japanese Dance

  • Por John Sammon
  • 8 Oct 2019

SAN JOSE — It’s a brand new form of Japanese dance in the U.S. that its members describe as like a whirlpool, although it could also be likened to a colorful undulating cloud, accompanied by the sounds of flutes and drums.

It’s gaining in popularity in San Jose.

“We’re not very well known here in the states but we’re catching on,” said Uzumaru dance member Sarah Chan.

“There are five (Yosakoi) teams in the U.S., in San Jose, San Francisco, Kansas, New York and Colorado.”

A one-year-old dance ensemble, the “San Jose Uzumaru” performs dancing ...

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"American Sutra" To Look At World War II Camps Through Buddhist Perspective

  • Por John Sammon
  • 29 Mar 2019

A new book titled American Sutra will take a unique and different look at the experiences of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II; showing how their Buddhist faith gave them strength and courage, and brought them through suffering with their dignity intact.

“The book will show there were people who found something in their faith to create a different reality,” said Duncan Ryuken Williams, author of American Sutra. “There are books out there about the injustice of the camps. What was missing was the way the incarcerated when they were removed from their homes and experienced loss; drew on ...

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