Jack Shirai

Jack Shirai (? - 1937, July 10) was a Japanese-American activist, trade unionist, and soldier who volunteered with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the fight against Fascism in Spain. He is the first Japanese-American to serve in a fully, ethnically-mixed unit. He died in Brunete, in the hills of Jarama, Spain.

Early life
Shirai was an orphan, who lived near Hakodate, Japan. He immigrated to the United States around 1930.

Service
He was a cook and served with a machine-gun unit. According to historian Arthur Landis, "He was killed by a machine-gun burst and, like Oliver Law [the first African-American to serve in an ethnically-integrated unit], they buried him that night with a notation on a board as to his ancestry and his courage." According to the Asian-American Hyphen Magazine, in an article titled The Cook With a Gun, Shirai is described as "beloved not only for his skills as a cook but also for his determination to fight for his beliefs."