The U.S. tried to ban them from military service, but these Japanese-American veterans ultimately became some of the most decorated soldiers in history
Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.: The Hirano family poses with a picture of oldest son Shigera Hirano, a U.S. Army sergeant. Even as he served with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, his family was incarcerated at the Colorado River Relocation Center, an internment camp in Poston, Arizona.
One against the enemies in the Pacific and Europe, and the other against racial prejudice in our own country. We fought superbly and bravely. I’m very happy I was a part of that.Despite being initially stripped of weapons and segregated, Nisei National Guardsmen had been allowed to continue serving on Oahu and faithfullyHawaii’s beaches. But their fate changed when the military got wind that Japan’s navy was headed toward Midway atoll near the Hawaiian Islands in May 1942.
In summer 1943, the 100th headed to North Africa, where they were assigned to guard German POWs instead of engaging in battle. But the battalion’s commanding officer lobbied to join active combat, and the 100th ended up participating in the Allied push through Italy. There, it became known as the “Purple Heart Battalion” for the tremendous casualties its members suffered. The 100th shrank by over half before it was absorbed into the 442nd, which arrived in Europe in May 1944.