Earl Finch was a good man. Born in Ovett in 1915, he lived on a rural farm and later moved to Hattiesburg with his parents. His father accepted a job as a janitor for the segregated Hattiesburg Public Schools, where Finch attended but did not finish high school. But with a strong work-ethic, he managed to become a modestly successful businessman by his mid-twenties. Finch became the proprietor of a bowling alley, a clothing shop, a second-hand furniture store, and a sprawling ranch. Always affable, he developed a good reputation in the community which helped his businesses thrive.
A staunch Southern Baptist, Finch strongly believed in the teachings of Jesus to heal the sick, feed the hungry, and be good to the poor. When the United States entered WWII, Finch patriotically enlisted but a heart ailment and flat feet prevented him from service. So, he began to ponder how he could help the war effort when one day he saw two military men looking through his downtown shop window. Finch invited them inside and learned they were stationed at Camp Shelby as part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated group of second generation Japanese American soldiers, many of whom had parents and siblings in concentration camps in the United States. Known as Nisei soldiers, Finch seized the opportunity to put his faith into action. He invited the men and other soldiers from the unit over to his home for dinner. Realizing the men, most of whom were small in stature, did not have proper fitting uniforms, he helped arrange for delivery of size appropriate military apparel. In no time, Finch established relationships with many of the soldiers and used his salesman gifts to broker toys and food to younger siblings and older relatives of the men housed in the internment camps. He organized rodeos and road trips for the servicemen while on furlough, and he managed to travel all over the country to visit wounded soldiers in hospitals and speak to next of kin.
Finch’s devotion to the 442nd included men from the 100th Infantry Battalion from Hawaii, one of the most decorated units from WWII. Before long, Finch held Sunday fellowships at his ranch, sponsored sporting events at Camp Shelby, and assisted with sending correspondence and supplies to Nisei soldiers stationed all over the world. He even created the “Aloha Canteen,” the only USO in the country for Japanese Americans. As the war progressed and men were lost, many replacements came directly from the internment camps where the prisoners volunteered for their country. Finch’s tireless efforts were noticed by national media outlets, who wrote glowing stories on the Mississippian and his unusual philanthropy. Many believed Finch had an angle, but none ever surfaced. No, he lived the gospels, helping soldiers and their families out of the goodness of his heart. One veteran, Chester Tanaka, said that Earl Finch was the “man who symbolized America at her finest.” Persecuted and maligned, Finch treated Japanese Americans as family, and his love for them reached far and wide with lasting impact. Word of the kind man from Hattiesburg stretched around the world, and Hawaiian soldiers arranged numerous island visits for Finch where he was showered with praise and adulation.
The example set by Earl Finch is a reminder that love, grace, and goodness are universal, not isolated to country, creed, language, or ethnicity. How would we answer the question posed to Finch 80 years ago, “What’s your angle?”
