They hardly looked like a crack regiment of the United States Army. Their helmets and uniforms were oversized, owing to the fact that the average solider in the unit was just 5-feet-5,125 pounds. They had brown skin, almond-shaped eyes, and considered rice and fish staples of their diet.
And perhaps most importantly, their loyalty was in question to a point where most of their families were behind barbed wire -- interned by their own country.
But that did not prevent the Japanese-American soldiers of the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team from becoming the most decorated unit of its size in American military history.
Pearl Harbor and Internment
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor thrust the United States into World War II on Dec. 7, 1941, and inflamed anti-Japanese sentiment. That led to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's signing an executive order forcing the 120,000 Japanese-Americans living on the West Coast to be evacuated to internment camps.
The internment was deemed necessary for national security, although there was no evidence of any evacuee being involved in espionage; and despite the fact that 60 percent of them were American citizens. Farmers on the West Coast, who were in competition with Japanese-American farmers, admitted that they favored the evacuation for economic reasons.
Economic reasons prevented a similar evacuation in Hawaii. Japanese-Americans made up more than 30 percent of the population, and moving them out could cripple production in the territory.
The One-Puka-Puka
It was in Hawaii that the first Japanese-American combat unit was formed. The 100th Infantry Battalion, largely composed of members of the Hawaii National Guard, saw its first action in Italy in 1943. The One-Puka-Puka (Puka is a Hawaiian term for hole) fought with such distinction and suffered such heavy casualties that it became known as the "Purple Heart Battalion."
In the battalion's first eight weeks of combat, six of its members earned the Distinguished Service Cross -- a decoration second in prestige only to the Congressional Medal of Honor. Attached to the 34th Division, the 100th fought near Salerno, took part in the bloody battle of Cassino, and helped lead the way to Rome.
Eventually, the 100th became one of three infantry battalions in the 442nd Infantry Regiment, which was assembled after the government began accepting volunteers from internment camps.
The 442nd consisted mostly of Japanese-Americans from the mainland U.S. Like the 100th, virtually all of its members were Nisei (second-generation Japanese in America) and most officers were White. One exception was Young Oak Kim, a Korean-American who became the most highly decorated Asian-American in U.S. history.
Italy and France
The 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team saw its first action in June pf 1944, seizing a road junction near the Italian towns of Suvereto. The untried 442nd battalions initially struggled, but were steadied by the veterans of the 100th; and the RCT became highly effective. The 100th/442nd continued fighting in Italy, attached to the 88th Division, then headed to France as part of the 36th Division.
France was where the 100th/442nd achieved its greatest fame. Fighting in the heavily wooded Vosges Mountains, often in foul weather. Its most famous exploit was its rescue of the "Lost Battalion" -- a unit of the 36th that had become cut off in the Vosges. The 100th/442nd sustained more than 800 casualties to save 211 men during the five-day operation.
The battles in the Vosges were bitter, and not just because of strong German resistance. Both Nisei GIs and their White officers felt that that their division commander, Maj. Gen. John Dahlquist, was callous and imcompetent; blaming him for excessive casualties.
In the spring of 1945, the 100th/442nd was sent back to Italy and attached to the 92nd Division. There, the unit was a catalyst in the Allies' cracking of the Germans' final line of defenses. The 100th/442nd's breakthrough occurred during what was supposed to be a diversionary attack.
Impact
The 100th/442nd garnered more than 18,000 medals in World War II. The decorations included seven Presidential Unit Citations, 9,486 Purple Hearts, 52 Distinguished Service Crosses and a Medal of Honor, which was posthumously awarded to Private First Class Sadao Munemori for heroism in Italy in 1945. In 2000, a review of records led to 20 members of the 100th/442nd having their Distinguished Service Crosses upgraded to Medals of Honor.
The combat team -- as well as the crucial efforts of Nisei who worked in military intelligence in the Pacific Theatre -- did much to change perceptions about the loyalty of Japanese-Americans. It was a factor in President Harry S. Truman's decision to desegregate the armed forces and in Hawaii's being admitted to the Union as the 49th state in 1959. The most famous member of the 100th/442nd is Daniel Inouye, who is in his sixth term as a Senator from Hawaii. Inouye lost an arm and won a Medal of Honor in Italy.
But prejudice lingered. Some veterans from the mainland returned home to find their property vandalized. Others were greeted by racist signs or insults from fellow Americans. Inouye, for instance, was refused a haircut in San Francisco on his way home. A uniform laden with medals, and an empty right sleeve provided evidence of Inouye's service to his country. But the barber simply said, "We don't serve Japs here."
Nonetheless, the impact was undeniable. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill ordering reparations of $20,000 to Japanese-American citizens interned during the war. It's difficult to imagine that happening without the sacrifice of Nisei soldiers.
The 100th/442nd's motto, "Go for Broke," became a part of American slang. "Go for Broke' is a Hawaiian pidgin gambling term meaning "Risk All." The members of the 100th/442nd did just that.
Sources:
Hosokawa, Bill; Nisei: The Quiet Americans, William Morrow and Co.
Steidl, Franz; Lost Battalions: Going for Broke in the Vosges, Autumn 1944; Presidio Press
Tanaka, Chester; Go For Broke: A Pictorial History of the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, Presidio Press
Yenne, Bill; Rising Sons: The Japanese American GIs Who Fought for the United States in World War II, St. Martin's Press
Jon Matsune - Jon Matsune is a free-lance writer based in Northern California. He has 25 years of experience in newspaper journalism, mostly as a sports ...
Join the Conversation