University of Hawaii professor Judy Weightman, inspired by the stories of nisei veterans who helped liberate the Dachau concentration camp in World War II, spearheaded an effort to build a memorial to honor and remember the Hawaii Japanese who served in WWII amidst the internment of hundreds of thousands of Japanese American citizens (at least one had family interned while serving the U.S.!).
The sculpture was designed and constructed by Bumpei Akaji (1921-2002), a Kauaian born in Lawai who served on the 100th Battalion of the famous 442nd Regimental Combat Team in WWII, one of the four units recognized at this memorial. Akaji shipped out to Italy during the war, and later studied at the Florence Academy of Fine Arts and Academia de Belle Arti, Brera in Milan on a Fulbright Scholarship. He received an MFA from UH Manoa in painting in 1951, and along with Satoru Abe and others, belonged to the Metcalf Chateau. He is best known for his large copper and brass welded sculptures, which have been displayed in many public spaces throughout the state. Among them is "Birds Aloft" (1966) at Ala Moana Shopping Center, "The Eternal Flame" (1974) at the State Capitol, and "Gaea (Mother Earth)" at the Hawaii State Art Museum (HISAM). See his Wikipedia page for locations of some of his other sculptures.
The memorial, which appears to have been constructed of marble and brass, was dedicated in 1998. Three thousand veterans gathered in Honolulu for the dedication and other remembrance events. They recalled being shipped out to Camp Shelby in Mississippi, the grind of rebuilding training structures in Kahana valley destroyed each day in practice, running barbed wire down Kailua Beach, internment camps, and translating Japan's surrender. Time capsules with scrolls listing the names of soldiers killed in action, members of the four units honored, and donors for the memorial were created (when will they be retrieved?).
The memorial recognizes the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service, and 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion. You can learn more about these units and the service and sacrifice of Japanese Americans during WWII by visiting this memorial and reading the plaques and by visiting the U.S. Army Museum in Battery Randolph nearby (free admission, donations accepted; they also have vintage aircraft and weaponry and exhibits on the other Pacific-Rim wars and early Hawaiian conflicts).
I could not find any information as to how Akaji came up with the sculpture's form.
Sources/more information:
http://archives.starbulletin.com/98/07/03/news/story1.html
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/4751210983
http://dags.hawaii.gov/sfca/app/gallery/displayimage.php?album=1&pid=38575