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On January 19th, 1942, the Army disbanded the Hawaii Territorial Guard. The Army then reformed the unit the next day, but without the Nisei. -
The Nisei students had to give up their education to form the manual labor support group called the Varsity Victory Volunteers, or the "Triple V". They built barracks, dug ditches, quarried rock, and surfaced roads, which was under the US Army Corps of Engineers supervision. This tells us that they were not trusted.
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President Franklin Roosevelt, on February 19th, 1942, signed Executive Order 9066 which relocated more than 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry to concentration. -
By the end to March, all the Japanese American men of draft age were considered enemy aliens. These men, who were called enemy aliens, were not able to enlist in the army. -
On January 19th, 1943, the Triple V members finally got their chance to fight. This was because of their dedication and desire to serve their nation in any way possible. it left a significant impression on many people. The War Department announced they were created an all Nisei Combat teams. 10,000 men volunteered. -
President Roosevelt, on February 1st, 1943, activated the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The team was about two thirds Hawaii born Nisei and one third mainlanders. The islanders were named Buddaheads and the mainlanders were named Katonks. The two groups butted heads, money and language were two main points of argument. The Army sent a few Buddaheads to incarnation camps in Arkansas. Once they came back they found a new respect for the Katonks, and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team became one. -
During this time, the unit trained for combat.
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The unit left Camp Shelby for their first overseas assignment of WW2 in Europe on this day. -
The 442nd unit was reassigned to the 36th Division of the Seventh Army. -
The 141st Texas Regiment was cut off by the Germans. This caused the 442nd Regiment to be recalled. They were snt out to try and save the 141st Regiment even though they were severely outnumbered. They suffered heavy casualties, and even attempted suicide charges. They rescued about 200 Texan soldiers, but had about 800 casualties.
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The 442nd was attached to the 92nd Infantry Division to try and break the Gothic Line. The 92nd was an all - American unit. They broke the Gothic Line in April and received a Presidential Unit Citation. -
The 442nd Regimental Combat team is considered the most decorated unit in US military history. These men put their bodies on the line even when the Americans put no trust in them. They were willing to die if that meant that their country would succeed, so much so that their motto was "Go For Broke". They ended up receiving the Congressional Gold Medal and its impact will never be forgotten. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team proved many wrong and basically rewrote how the war was viewed.