You fought for the free nations of the world along with the rest of us...You fought not only the enemy, but you fought prejudice--and you have won..."- President Harry Truman, 1946
Who Were They?
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was the amalgamation of two units, the 100th Infantry Battalion comprised primarily of Hawaiian National Guardsmen and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The original 442nd RCT was comprised of Japanese men who volunteered from their internment camps, were living outside of the West Coast Exclusion Zone (the three states that border the Pacific) , or who were already serving in the military before war broke out. Just like other ethnically segregated units, a good example being the 92nd "Buffalo Soldiers" Infantry Division, the soldiers were Japanese but the officers were all white.
What They Did
The 442nd RCT served in Europe, for the leaders in Washington were both thoughtful enough to not have them serve in the Pacific theater against the Imperial Japanese Army. Though certain units were sent to the Pacific theater where they encountered old friends, friendly fire, and heavy racial discrimination.
I believe the propaganda value of such a step would be great and I believe they would make good troops. We need not use them against members of their own race, but we could use them for many useful purposes- Secretary of War Stimson 1942The call was put up for 4500 Japanese males to enlist and while response was muted among the interned on the mainland, nearly 10,000 Hawaiians of Japanese descent enlisted to serve. The Hawaiians did not understand the animosity from the interned Japanese volunteers but they blended together into one unit.
"All of us can't stay in the [internment] camps until the end of the war. Some of us have to go to the front. Our record on the battlefield will determine when you will return and how you will be treated. I don't know if I'll make it back."- Sgt Abraham Ohama (KIA 1944)
Victorious 442nd soldiers with a captured enemy flag.The 442nd entered Italy in 1943 in the Naples-Foggia Campaign and served in Northern Italy, the Alps, Southern France, and the Rhineland. They fought valiantly at Monte Cassino and took enough casualties to be nicknamed the Purple Heart Battalion. The 442nd fought as the American line advanced north in Italy and were transferred over to Northern France. There they liberated Bruyères and Biffontaine before being sent on their most famous mission, the rescue of the Lost Battalion.In late 1944, the 1st Battalion, a largely Texan infantry unit, overextended and was enveloped by the German line. The Texans received limited help from air drops but were trapped in a chokehold by advancing German troops. For six days, under constant artillery and machine gun fire, the 442nd pushed forward towards the encircled "Lost Battalion". Outnumbered 4 to 1 in some sectors, the Japanese-Americans eventually breached the German line and saved the 211 trapped Texans at a much higher cost to their own. "Suicide Hill" witnessed a brutal bayonet charge by the 442nd and at the end of the battle, Companies I and K emerged each with 15 men from the 100 they started with. The sergeants were in charge because all higher ranking officers had been killed or wounded. Though many complained they were being used as cannon fodder, the Japanese nevertheless proved their worth in that one engagement.
"The Nisei troops are among the best in the United States Army and the respect and the appreciation due honorable, loyal, and courageous soldiers should be their's rather than the scorn and ridicule they have been receiving from some thoughtless and uninformed citizens and veterans."- Major General E.M. Almond
Their Honors
Discrimination
Despite their outstanding action in combat and undeniable sacrifices, of the 464 Medal of Honors awarded, only 2 went to Asian-Americans, only one of those went towards a member of the Japanese-American units (the other was a Filipino scout). In 2000, after a 1996 study commission of racial bias in WW2 was released and after over 50 years of not receiving their proper recognition for heroism, President Bill Clinton upgraded 22 awards to the Medal of Honor making the 442nd the most decorated unit for its size in American history.
"Rarely has a nation been so well served by a people it has so ill-treated. They risked their lives, above and beyond the call of duty. And in so doing, they did more than defend America; in the fact of painful prejudice, they helped to define America at its best."- President Bill Clinton, 2000
Works Cited
"100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT)." Japanese American Museum of San Jose. JAMsj, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
"442nd Regimental Combat Team Activated - Hawaii History - Short Stories." 442nd Regimental Combat Team Activated. Hukilau Network, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
"442nd REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM." 442nd Regimental Combat Team Facts. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team Historical Society, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
"442nd REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM." 442nd Regimental Combat Team Historical Society. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team Historical Society, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
"442nd REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM." Go For Broke. Go For Broke National Education Center, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
Grubb, Abbie Salyers. "Rescue of the Lost Battalion." Densho Encyclopedia. Densho, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
Hull, Michael D. "Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team - July '96 World War II Feature." History Net: Where History Comes Alive. History Net, 19 Aug. 1996. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
"Japanese American Service in World War II." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
Kakesako, Gregg K. "Medal Winners Honored at the Pentagon and on Floor of the U.S. Senate." Honolulu Star. Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 22 June 2000. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
"List of Asian American Medal of Honor Recipients." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
Map of Japanese American Internment Camps. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
Niiya, Brian. "Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients." Densho Encyclopedia. Densho, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
Tsukiyama, Ted. "442nd Regimental Combat Team." 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans. 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
Although Stimson said that the 442nd wouldn't necessarily be deployed in the Pacific Theater, did they only serve in Europe? I think I remember reading about Japanese-Americans who would shout in Japanese to confuse entrenched soldiers, or ones who would talk in Japanese to persuade some to surrender.
ReplyDeleteWere Japanese units segregated specifically because they were interned at home, or was it just part of the army's broader segregation policies?
ReplyDelete