News & Events | Sons and Daughters of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team | 442nd – Go for Broke.

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Las Vegas Mini-Reunion 2018 registration

Sun, April 8, 2018 by Jon

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The 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team/Military Intelligence Service/1399th Eng Construction Battalion Veterans & the Friends & Family of Nisei Veterans (FFNV) Las Vegas Mini-Reunion 2018

This year’s annual reunion hosted by the Friends & Family of Nisei Veterans (FFNV) will be held at the California Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in October. Some of us are again joining with Lawson Sakai’s FFNV group. It was so enjoyable and fun last year

Attend and you will be able to meet friends and families of the 100th, 442nd, MIS, 1399 and other friends from the West Coast and other areas. There will be a welcome banquet on Monday nite (15th) and and a farewell banquet luncheon on Wednesday (17th). We’ll as usual have our own Hospitality Room. We have several days of slot tournaments, shopping excursions and of course all the gambling you wish for.

A group tour is being organized from Hawaii for the dates of October 14 to October 19, 2018 (5 nights). See the Registration form below.

The payment deadline to join the tour is Tuesday, August 8th.

Any questions, call S&D member and tour organizer Ann Kabasawa at 781-8540 or e-mail at diverseinnov@gmail.com.
ALL ARE WELCOME TO COME AND HAVE FUN!!!!

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Dedication of a Memorial Monument Inspired by the 442nd RCT (March 16, 2018)

Fri, March 16, 2018 by Jon

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Dedication of A Memorial Monument Inspired by the 442nd RCT
Contributed by S&D member Laura Hirayama

On March 16¸ 2018 the Sons & Daughters of the 442nd RCT held a ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl (Oahu) to dedicate a memorial monument for their fathers, uncles and friends of the 442nd RCT and all men and women who served our country in World War II.

A bronze plaque affixed onto a black granite stone was installed along the Memorial Walkway at the Cemetery with words that were inspired by the 442nd RCT:

“With gratitude and pride we honor your courage and service in holding high the torch of freedom. Your enduring legacy lights the path for future generations.”

The 442nd RCT torch and “Go For Broke!” motto highlight the plaque for perpetuity.

About 35 people attended the ceremony¸ including 8 veterans who made their way up the Walkway like true dedicated soldiers. Sons & Daughters president Grace Tsubata Fujii opened the ceremony and Eileen Sakai¸ former Sons & Daughters president¸ spoke on keeping the 442nd RCT legacy alive in the present and the future. Judge Frances Wong gave the invocation¸ recognizing the fact that there were both Christian and Buddhist 442nd RCT veterans¸ and then gave a benediction that paid tribute to the spirit and legacy of the 442nd RCT veterans. Sandy Tsukiyama gave powerful renditions of the “Star Spangled Banner¸” “Hawai’i Pono’i¸” and “America the Beautiful” and Alan Miyamura moved the audience with “Amazing Grace” on his bagpipes. As lei were placed on the memorial monument¸ Stanton Haugen honored the soldiers of World War II with a haunting “Taps” on his bugle.

Please go to see this new monument on the Memorial Walkway when you next stop at Punchbowl.

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Hawaii Nikkei Legacy Exhibit

Wed, February 28, 2018 by Jon

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Hawaii Nikkei Legacy Exhibit as part of the Gannenmono 150th Commemoration Events in Hawaii

In 2018, this exhibit is planned to be shown around the State of Hawaii jointly by the Nisei Veterans Legacy (NVL) and the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu as part of the 150th anniversary celebration of initial Japanese immigration to Hawaii. The immigrants who arrived in 1868 to Hawaii were called “gannenmono” because they arrived in the first year, or gannen, of the Meiji era. The first venue will be at the Honolulu Festival being held in March (exhibit showing on Mar 10 and 11 from 1000 am – 300 pm at the Hawaii Convention Center).

The NVL successfully toured the photographic exhibit in several locations in Japan in 2017. The intent of the exhibit is to educate people on the story of Hawaii’s Japanese Americans and to promote goodwill between Japan and the United States through deeper understanding of the cross-cultural values and customs between Japan and Hawaii.

The Hawaii Nikkei Legacy Exhibit covers the period from the initial immigration of Issei (first generation immigrants) from Japan in the late 1800s up to modern day Hawaii, showing how Japanese Americans in Hawaii have merged their Japanese cultural values with the blend of other cultural values in Hawaii. It addresses the Japanese American experience during World War II including the incarceration of over 110,000 people in internment camps, what life was like for Japanese Americans in Hawaii during the War and the exploits of the Nisei (second generation) Japanese American soldiers that fought in both theaters of war to prove their loyalty to the United States.

The exhibit also shows how the Nisei Veterans contributed to life in Post-War Hawaii after returning home such as campaigning for Statehood, changing the political environment and helping to make Japanese customs and culture popular again after the War. Prominent Japanese Americans from Hawaii are featured along with the prefectures in Japan that their ancestors emigrated from.

The exhibit was produced with an all-volunteer effort and in collaboration with the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii and the Japan-American Society of Hawaii. It was shown in several locations in Japan in 2017 with warm responses from the Japanese public, including at the: Japanese Overseas Migration Museum, Yokohama (June 24 to September 18, 2017); Hawaii Expo, Tokyo (July 15-17, 2017); Minpo Publishing Company Exhibition Hall, Fukushima (July 19-29, 2017, where the exhibit was scheduled to coincide with the 110th anniversary celebration of Fukushima City and a visit by several groups from Hawaii including the Honolulu Fukushima Kenjin Kai); Usa City Library (September 7-16, 2017 as part of a Peace Symposium sponsored by the Pacific Aviation Museum and Usa City); and the Former Bank of Japan Building, Hiroshima (October 1-14, 2017 where the exhibit was scheduled in conjunction with a visit from the Honolulu Hiroshima Kenjin Kai as part of the 20th anniversary celebration of the Sister State relationship between Hawaii and Hiroshima Prefecture).

The narrative text and captions are in Japanese and English. If you have a chance, please go to see the exhibit. The date and times are listed on the Honolulu Festival web site.

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A Look Back at the 442nd RCT In Commemoration of the 75th Anniversary

Tue, February 27, 2018 by Jon

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A Look Back at the 442nd RCT

In Commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the Establishment of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, we offer these selected facts and resources, many perhaps well known to you already with others less so, related to the brave and honorable men of the 442nd. Any errors are inadvertent and the responsibility of the E-/web editor.

◊ U.S. Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall approves formation of Nisei combat team on January 1, 1943. The combat team is formally authorized by President Roosevelt on Feb. 1.

◊ The call for volunteers is issued on January 28, 1943 by the War Department, with a proclamation in Hawaii and by posters, press and other means on the U.S. mainland and later by recruiting teams, and the 442nd is activated on February 1 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.

◊ Volunteers for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in the Territory of Hawaii are given an aloha ceremony on March 28, 1943 at Iolani Palace while on the mainland, officers and enlisted men had already begun reporting to Camp Shelby in small groups and individually from February 1.

◊ We must not forget that many mainland Nisei of the 442nd volunteered from internment camps. Read this series of articles by law professor Geoffrey R. Stone published in the Huffington Post in 2017: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/5a10b5e2e4b0e6450602eb9c (Part I), https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/it-can-happen-here-the-75th-anniversary-of-the-japanese_us_5a121186e4b023121e0e9439 (Part II) and https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/it-can-happen-here-the-75th-anniversary-of-the-japanese_us_5a135f12e4b05ec0ae8444e2 (Part II) (accessed 2.8.2018).

◊ Volunteers from Hawaii depart on April 4, 1943 for Camp Shelby, arriving 2,686 strong on April 13.

◊ The 442nd RCT begins basic training on May 10, 1943.

◊ The 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), who had arrived at Camp Shelby in January 1943 from Camp McCoy (Wisconsin), leave Camp Shelby on August 11 and ship out for North Africa on August 21, 1943 where the Battalion joins the 34th Division.

◊ Basic training ends for the 442nd RCT on August 23, 1943 and platoon and company level training begins in October followed by battalion training in November.

◊ Ten officers and 165 enlisted men from the 442nd RCT are transferred to be replacements for the 100th Inf Bn in January 1944 with another 20 officers and 210 enlisted men transferred in February.

◊ The 442nd RCT is reviewed by Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall on March 4, 1944.

◊ Another 10 officers and 155 enlisted men are transferred to be replacements for the 100th Inf Bn in (month).

◊ The 442nd RCT (short one infantry battalion) leave Camp Shelby on April 22-23, 1944 and board Liberty ships on May 1. On May 2 the 442nd ship out from Virginia via convoy for Naples, Italy. The remainder of 1st Battalion stay at Camp Shelby to later become the 171st that trains replacement personnel for the 442nd for the duration of the war.

◊ The 442nd, minus most of 2nd Battalion whose ships had detoured to Oran (Algeria), arrive at Naples on May 28, 1944. Most of 2nd Battalion join the rest of the 442nd, who were on the move, on June 17 near Tarquinia, Italy.

◊ The 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) becomes part of the 442nd RCT on June 11, 1944 and is redesignated the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry on Aug 10, 1944 (instead of being designated the 1st Battalion).

◊ The 442nd RCT enters combat on June 26, 1944 near Belvedere, Italy as part of the 34th Infantry Division.

◊ The Anti-Tank Company is detached from the 442nd from July 13-Oct 24, 1944 during which time the men become “glider troops.”

◊ The 442nd RCT take part in the Vosges Campaign (including the liberation of Bruyeres and Biffontaine) and the fighting to rescue the “Lost Battalion” in October and November 1944.

◊ The 100th is detached from the 442nd from Nov 10-28, 1944 and make their way to Menton in Southern France.

◊ The 442nd (less the 522nd FAB) help break the Gothic Line in the Po Valley Campaign in March 1945.

◊ The 522nd FAB is detached from the 442nd on March 15 and pursue German troops into Germany along with other American units. The 522nd encounter those who had been held in Nazi death camps and sub-camps near Dachau.

◊ The war in Europe ends on May 8, 1945. Men of the 442nd start being sent back to the U.S. and then on home to their families.

◊ Members of the 442nd RCT march to the White House Lawn on July 16, 1946 and the RCT is presented a seventh Presidential Unit Citation by President Truman.

◊ The 442nd RCT is deactivated in August 1946 but is reactivated in July 1947 as part of the Army Reserve.

◊ The Album, 442nd Combat Team 1943 created by the 442nd (includes photos of each company at Camp Shelby in 1943) and Americans: The Story of The 442d Combat Team by Orville C. Shirey are available online via Peter Wakamatsu’s website at https://www.the442.org/home.html (accessed 2.8.2018)

◊ A selection of photograph’s from the 442nd 10th Anniversary gathering courtesy of the family of Kazutoshi Fujino, Easy Co., is available on the S&D website at this link.

◊ An electronic copy of the 442nd 50th Anniversary booklet, Go For Broke 1943 * 1993 (accessed 2.8.2018), is available on the Densho website in two files at https://ddrstage.densho.org/media/ddr-csujad-1/ddr-csujad-1-207-mezzanine-acdcfc588a.pdf (first file) and at https://ddrstage.densho.org/media/ddr-csujad-1/ddr-csujad-1-207-mezzanine-acea0781ac.pdf
(second file) and an electronic copy of the picture booklet recapping the 50th Anniversary events is found at https://ddrstage.densho.org/media/ddr-csujad-1/ddr-csujad-1-195-mezzanine-0f028d0279.pdf (accessed 2.22.2018).

1995 Homecoming event at Camp Shelby https://ddrstage.densho.org/media/ddr-csujad-1/ddr-csujad-1-46-mezzanine-6e161c6818.pdf (accessed 2.22.2018)

◊ Select Unit Decorations (out of a total of 7)
General Orders awarding the 442nd RCT (less the 522 FAB) a Presidential Unit Citation: https://www.442.us.com/images/GO_34-442_less_522.pdf (accessed 2.7.2018)

General Orders for one of the two Presidential Unit Citations awarded to the 100th Inf Bn: https://www.442.us.com/images/GO_360-100_Oct_44_.pdf (accessed 2.7.2018)

Extract of General Orders awarding the 2nd Bn a Distinguished Unit Citation: (Japanese American Veterans Association file accessed 2.6.2018)

General Orders awarding the 3rd Bn a Presidential Unit Citation: https://www.442.us.com/images/GO_317-3rd_Bn.pdf (accessed 2.7.2018)

General Orders awarding Fox and Love Companies 3rd Bn a Presidential Unit Citation: (Japanese American Veterans Association file accessed 2.6.2018)

General Orders awarding the 232nd Engineers (with the 111th Engineer Combat Bn) a Presidential Unit Citation: https://www.442.us.com/images/GO_425-232_Eng.pdf (accessed 2.7.2018)

Resources
442nd Veterans Club website, https://www.442.us.com

Go For Broke National Education Center website, https://www.goforbroke.org/index.php

442nd Regimental Combat Team website, https://www.the442.org

Americans: The Story of The 442d Combat Team, Orville C. Shirey, 1946. (see link above)

University of Hawaii Japanese American Veterans Collection material, https://manoa.hawaii.edu/library/research/collections/archives/manuscript-collections/japanese-american-veterans-collection/

Boyhood To War: History and Anecdotes of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Dorothy Matsuo, 1992.

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ATTENTION – March 28, 2018 payment deadline for Aloha Luncheon Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr.

Sun, February 25, 2018 by Jon

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Aloha to the families and friends of the Sons and Daughters of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team,

Dear Members and Friends,

The time will soon arrive for Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr. to complete his current assignment as the 24th Commander, United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) to become the United States Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Australia.

We encourage you to still register to attend the special Aloha Luncheon for Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr. and his wife Ms. Bruni Bradley. For many, many years Admiral Harris has been a staunch supporter and admirer of the Nisei veterans including our fathers of the 442nd RCT and has spoken at anniversary banquets and other 442nd related events.

The Aloha Luncheon will be on Saturday, April 21, 10:30 to 2:30 at the Hale Koa Hotel, DeRussy Hall 2nd floor, 2055 Kalia Road, Honolulu, Hawaii. The flyer/registration form for the Aloha Luncheon can be found below.

There are already a number of members registered and anyone else interested in attending to honor and thank Admiral Harris and his wife should submit the registration form with payment to the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans no later than March 28. DeRussy Hall can hold up to 370 people so let’s fill the hall with the maximum of 370 Harris well-wishers for their continuing service to our country!

Mahalo nui loa,

Sons and Daughters of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team officers

Fill out the reservation form and submit with total payment BY MARCH 28, 2018 to the following receiving organization:

100th Infantry Battalion Veterans
520 Kamoku Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96826
(Phone: 946-9272)

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Exhibit Announcement: Children’s Messages of Peace and MIS Veterans at the 100th Veterans Clubhouse

Sun, February 4, 2018 by Jon

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Announcement from the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans Club

An exhibit of Children’s Expressions of Peace from the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum is open from February 1 to March 5, 2018 at the 100th Inf Bn Veterans Clubhouse.

The exhibit will be open on weekdays only to March 5 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. It will be closed on weekends. Parking is at the Clubhouse or on the street.

The exhibit includes stunningly beautiful artwork, poetry and essays by students in Okinawa reflecting the reality of War on their homeland and their hopes for peace. This year, over 16 award winning pieces (all different from last year’s works) are on display.

Also on exhibit are profiles of three Military Intelligence Service WWII veterans with roots in Hawaii: Dr. Shinye Gima, the late Takejiro Higa and Herbert Yanamura. The displays on MIS veterans include personal photos, their memories of their wartime service and what life was like before and after the war.

There will also be showings of the 2017 documentary “Proof of Loyalty” about WWII veteran Kazuo Yamane. Mr. Yamane started off with the 100th but due to his Japanese language fluency, he was recruited for the MIS. The documentary provides one of the best historical timelines about the 100th Infantry Battalion as well as a fascinating look at Mr. Yamane’s exemplary military and civilian life. The film runs about an hour and please stop by no later than 12 noon if you’d like to see the movie so the Clubhouse can close by 1:00 pm.) For a detailed synopsis, please visit the film’s website at: https://proofofloyalty.com/

There is no admission fee for the exhibit.

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Registration Info for the 442nd RCT 75th Anniversary Banquet

Tue, January 16, 2018 by Jon

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2.25.2018 Update
It’s not too late to register for the 75th Anniversary of the 442nd RCT banquet! The deadline has been moved back to March 7. Please share this information with your friends and family.

Important change: The doors will open at 9:30 instead of 10 AM. The plan is to start the procession into the ballroom at 10 AM; we hope folks can be in their seats by then. We made the change to keep the program as short as possible out of respect for our very elderly veterans.

We are looking for volunteers to be Guidon Bearers representing all the 442 companies, to march in the opening procession. We have some volunteers, but are looking for more!

If your veteran loved one is deceased or not able to march in the procession, we are welcoming family members to march behind the Guidon Bearer of their dad/grandpa’s/great-grandpa’s company. Participants are asked to bring an 8” x 10” photo of their loved one in a standing frame to be placed on a table at the end of the procession.

Lastly, we still need participants to read short passages of quotes and poignant messages from soldiers during war time. Participants may also read their own message to their father/grandfather. The messages should be a minute or less.

If you’re interested in volunteering for any of these program activities, please contact Gwen Fujie at gwenfujie@gmail.com, or 888-9374 as soon as possible.

Please see attached registration and procession forms for more information.

Mahalo and see you on the 18th!

The 75^th Anniversary Banquet of the 442^nd Regimental Combat Team will be on Sunday, March 18, 2018. The theme is Celebrating with Gratitude and Pride. Doors will open at 09:30 am, with the program to start at 10:00 am (and ending between 1:30 – 2:00 pm). The banquet will be at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, Hawaii Ballroom.

A Special Request from the planning committee is for the Veterans group photo, which will be at 9:30 am and veterans are asked to be on time for the photo.

Veterans and wives as well as surviving spouses are free. The cost for others is $75.00 per person.

Lunch entrée will be a chicken and short ribs combo. If the Vegetarian option is preferred, please indicate with a check mark on the registration form (see below).

The cost for self-parking is $10; valet parking is $15. Parking for veterans, wives and widows – whether self-park or valet — will be paid for. For those driving a passenger with a wheelchair, someone will assist you at the front entrance of the hotel if you wish to drop off passenger(s).

The deadline to submit reservations and payment is Wednesday, March 7, 2018. A block of rooms is also being held at the Sheraton Waikiki for those wishing to stay there. For questions, please contact the 442^nd Veterans Club office by phone (808-949-7997) or Email (442veterans@hawaiiantel.net).

Banquet Registration Form

Download (PDF, 318KB)

Grand Procession Registration Form

Download (PDF, 53KB)

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This Time in 442nd RCT History (Jan 2018)

Tue, January 16, 2018 by Jon

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The Champagne Campaign in the French Maritime Alps, Part 2

A brief summary of the “Champagne Campaign” was included in the November 2017 E-newsletter. The 100^th/442^nd was assigned to protect the right flank of the Sixth Army Group along the French-Italian border in the French Maritime Alps from November 1944 to March 1945. Despite the use of the term “champagne” and the liberty granted many of the men to Nice, Paris and other French towns and cities, there was still war at hand and daily patrols and fighting took place.

Excerpts from the Headquarters 442D Regimental Combat Team Monthly Historical Report for the month of January 1945 will serve to highlight some of what the men lived through during this “campaign”.

New Year’s Day 1945, the 100^th conducted reconnaissance from Menton to Castillon, the 2^nd Bn did the same from Castillon to Mount Grosso, the 522^nd fired in support of the 2^nd Bn and the 232^nd Combat Engineers laid mines.

January 3, Able Co. and Fox Co. patrols went on reconnaissance and reported no enemy activity, 3^rd Bn organized a reserve line from Roquebrune to Col de Braus, Antitank Co. was on guard duty on roads and at installations, 94 Italian refugees were apprehended and turned over to command in Nice, and new cold-climate sleeping bags were distributed to the companies.

January 10, the Regimental HQ and Medical Detachment moved location by 5 miles, 232^nd assisted Easy, Fox and George Cos. with laying antipersonnel mines and double apron fences, and a ration of beer and candy was distributed to the companies.

January 15, a George Co. patrol departed for Olivetta at 1700 with the intention of capturing prisoners and engaged with enemy troops on the banks of the Bevera River. The patrol leader was hit and the radio was damaged and inoperable. The patrol withdrew and S Sgt Rocky Matayoshi went to retrieve his lieutenant and carried him back 300 yards under fire. The patrol then attempted to move location but encountered a mine field and also could not cross the Bevera River, so spent the night outside. The next day, five men who were headed to the patrol to evacuate the wounded lieutenant ran into a minefield and two were killed with the other three wounded.

January 21, all personnel were ordered to check and carry gas masks and protective equipment at all times, a Fox Co. patrol had spent the night in the field and returned at 1600 with no enemy contact, Mike Co. guards recaptured two German POWs that had escaped from Nice, the 522^nd fired in support of the 100^th.

January 30, a plaque from the 1^st Bn, 141^st Infantry Regiment (36^th Infantry Division), the “Lost Battalion”, was received by 442^nd HQ and the inscription on the plaque read, “To the 442d Infantry with deep sincerity and utmost appreciation for the gallant fight to effect our rescue after we had been isolated for seven days. Biffontaine, France, 24-30 October, 1944.”

This was also a period of rebuilding the strength of the 442^nd. Ten officers and 369 enlisted men joined the 442^nd as replacements during this one month alone, and these replacements brought the 442^nd back to near full strength. The other side of this is that the replacements were needed because 442^nd men had been killed or injured in combat during the previous months.

Reference: https://library.manoa.hawaii.edu/departments/archives/mss/aja/nara/1945-02-06_MonthlyReport.pdf (accessed 1.15.2018)

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Sneak Preview of Go For Broke, a 442 Origins Story movie

Sun, November 19, 2017 by Jon

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Sneak Preview of the Go For Broke, A 442 Origins Story movie, Hawai’i Theater, October 8, 2017
By Gail Nishimura and Jon Ishihara

“442nd RCT Foundation Presents a Stacey Hayashi Production” was on the printed program for this special event to provide a preview of this movie long in the making on the 442nd RCT. In attendance at the Hawai’I Theatre in Honolulu were some 442nd veterans, many 100th/442nd family members and distinguished guests. The movie preview was attended by approximately 1400 people.

Opening the event was a group of dancers from Okinawa and Hawaii, with a lively presentation. Then Jake Shimabukuro played the national anthem on the ukulele and the 100th/442nd Reserves Guard posted the colors. Admiral Harry Harris, Commander U.S. Pacific Command, gave the keynote speech and then made a special presentation of the French Legion of Honor medal to veteran Mr. Masayoshi Nakamura. The text of Admiral Harris’s speech can be read here. Hawaii Governor David Ige then presented Stacey Hayashi with a proclamation making October 8, 2017 “Go For Broke” day.

This movie was dedicated to the late K. Mark Takai, U.S Representative from Hawai’I and a strong supporter of Stacey Hayashi and this movie. His daughter says “Go For Broke” in the movie. Stacey said Mark would leave copies of her book “Journey of Heroes” in his office for people visiting to read.

Former Senator Daniel Akaka attended and was in one of the scenes of the movie (look for him in the funeral scene.) Our own S&D member Anita Nihei was an extra and you can see and hear her a couple of times during the scene at Iolani Palace. S&D member Gwen Fujie and Anita’s son Gavin were also extras but the camera goes pretty fast at times and the crowd and recruits are big groups.

The movie itself moves quickly (90 minutes) and covers events just before and the year after Pearl Harbor. It tells of the Hawaii Territorial Guard and the formation of the Varsity Victory Volunteers (VVV). It also introduces the 298th Infantry/100th Infantry Battalion. The movie closes with the famous picture taken at Iolani Palace of the men who were inducted into the 442nd RCT in April 1943. Very touching as we get a look into the daily lives of different people before, during and after the start of the war, scnes which are based on stories from 442nd veterans.

The Hawaii Film Festival showed the film on the 12th of November at Hawai’i Theater and other venues. It was also just shown on the Big Island and Kaua’i the weekend of 17-19 November. Here is the link to the film’s description via the Hawaii Film Festival: go_for_broke_a_442_origins_story_2017

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This Time in 442nd RCT History (Nov 2017)

Sun, November 19, 2017 by Jon

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This Time in 442^nd RCT History
After the Vosges: The Champagne Campaign in the French Maritime Alps

October 30, 1944 was a Monday but for many with a sense of history it is the day the 442^nd RCT reached the 1^st Battalion, 141 Infantry Regiment in what has come to be known as the “Rescue of the Lost Battalion.” This is a short summary of the movements of the 442^nd following the brutal fighting in the Vosges Mountains, including the Rescue.

According to historical information in the National Archives, the 100^th Infantry Battalion was detached from the RCT on November 10 and was sent to Nice on the southern coast of France. The rest of the 442^nd RCT was given relief on November 17 after the more than one month of fighting in the Vosges. They traveled by truck a distance of 540 miles over four days to St. Jeannet, just a few miles west of Nice in the “Maritime Alps” of France, stopping in Docelles within the township of Bruyeres for one day. One can only imagine the thoughts of some of the men as they rode in the trucks down from the eastern part of France to the southeast, after the fighting in the mountains and the liberation of the towns of Bruyeres and Biffontaine, and the loss of so many of their friends and comrades.

The RCT reentered duty on November 23, Thanksgiving Day in 1944, having been attached to the 44^th Antiaircraft Artillery (AAA) Brigade, and the men provided defensive duty along the France-Italian border until March 1945. The 100^th rejoined the 442^nd on November 28. The duty for the 442^nd was to patrol a stretch of the border. But because the area is part of the French Riviera and the men were able to avail themselves of the comforts of the resort towns as the units were not engaged in battle, this period has been dubbed the Champagne Campaign.

In spite of the relative peace of this duty compared to front line battle, 11 442^nd soldiers died, 96 were were wounded and others went missing or were injured. A notable event that occurred in the town of Menton was the capture of a one-man German submarine. This is reported to be the first time that the U.S. Army captured an enemy submarine, and it was accomplished by soldiers of the 442^nd. Read more details of the event in the link below to a transcript of stories by Antitank Company Shiroku Yamamoto.

Sources

https://www.goforbroke.org/learn/history/combat_history/world_war_2/european_theater/rhineland_maritime.php

https://nisei.hawaii.edu/object/io_1149149955984.html

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Corrected – 2017 442nd S&D Family Christmas Party, Dec. 17

Wed, September 13, 2017 by Jon

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The S&D annual 2017 Family Christmas party with about 100 in attendance was held on December 17 at the 100th Infantry Battalion Clubhouse in Honolulu. Five veterans were present this year: Robert Kishinami, Fujio Matsuda, Jack Nakamura, Richard Nomura and Shiroku “Whitey” Yamamoto. Members, family and friends enjoyed the lunch spread provided by the Iolani School cafeteria, which included old time favorites like steamed fish, korean fried chicken, shoyu pork, salads, fruits, noodles, cakes and all kinds of desserts donated by members.

collage of the veterans that attended the Family Christmas party

the 5 veterans that attended the 2017 Family Christmas party

Door prizes too numerous to count were passed out to all in attendance, with top prizes of $50 gift cards and many other gift cards. We really appreciate all the door prizes donated by many who came. Christmas carols were sung, games were played and enjoyed including the “Right Family” story and Santa handed out gifts to kids and adults alike. S&D members and friends ended the year enjoying each other’s company and the Christmas season. Thank you so much for all those who came out to help!!! Please join us next year!

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Blog

Las Vegas Mini-Reunion 2018 registration

ATTENTION – March 28, 2018 payment deadline for Aloha Luncheon Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr.

Exhibit Announcement: Children’s Messages of Peace and MIS Veterans at the 100th Veterans Clubhouse

Registration Info for the 442nd RCT 75th Anniversary Banquet

Corrected – 2017 442nd S&D Family Christmas Party, Dec. 17

70th Anniversary Tribute Video

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442nd and Veterans Related Sites