The Year Was 1943: The 442nd Regimental Combat Team

Image courtesy of U.S. National Archives

My father turns 85 years old this year. Arthritis in his back and his hands are a source of daily pain and his short term memory isn’t as sharp as it used to be. Yet when I look back at my father’s old army pictures and see a young, fresh, handsome teen smiling back at me, it is difficult to believe that so many years have passed since those photos were taken. Even more difficult to imagine is what it must have been like to be a part of his Nisei generation in Hawaii, during the time of World War II.

When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, all active military responded. Six weeks later on January 19, 1942, the US military suddenly classified all men of Japanese ancestry—the Nisei—as 4C status, or “enemy alien”. During this time, the army would not issue weapons to any Nisei, but were allowed to do labor. For about the next year, the men who unselfishly volunteered for service—the Varsity Victory Volunteers —built barracks, put up barbed wire fencing and crushed rocks at the Waianae quarry.

Then in 1943, an announcement came from Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, that the US army would form an all-Nisei special combat team. 1,500 volunteers from Hawaii were called for; ten thousand men volunteered, including men from the VVV. These volunteers joined Nisei from the mainland US, and formed the 442nd Regimental Combat Team comprised of various artillery, engineer and two infantry battalions. The 1st battalion stayed behind to train new recruits. Later, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions would join the famous 100th Battalion, already fighting in Italy. “Go For Broke”, a gambling term that meant risking everything to win, became their motto.

Of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the “Go For Broke” website states these valorous statistics:

“The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service, in the entire history of the U.S. Military. The 4,000 men who initially came in April 1943 had to be replaced nearly 3.5 times. In total, about 14,000 men served, ultimately earning 9,486 Purple Hearts, 21 Medals of Honor and an unprecedented eight Presidential Unit Citations.” – “Go For Broke“

Videos, Oral Histories and More Information:

• Go For Broke National Education Center
• The Hawaii Nisei Story: Americans of Japanese Ancestry During World War II
• 442nd: Rescue of the Lost Battalion
• Photos and Images of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team

My father was one of those men, earning a purple heart and coming home after the war to work and live in Hawaii. Did you fight with the 442nd or the 100th Battalion? Or, do you know someone who did?