The 442nd Regiment

Old TexMex

Old TexMex

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This Memorial Day, I was reminded of the Americans who served in WWII because they felt that desire to stand up for the nation which had given them an opportunity for a better life.
I feel something is missing in many, today, who have been afforded the same shelter, wealth and opportunity. Is the call not loud enough, or clear enough? Are the threats not imminent enough, or is it something else....
Please consider these young men as an exa,ple of my wonderings:
442nd Regimental Combat Team Facts
 
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Old TexMex said:
This Memorial Day, I was reminded of the Americans who served in WWII because they felt that desire to stand up for the nation which had given them an opportunity for a better life.
I feel something is missing in many, today, who have been afforded the same shelter, wealth and opportunity. Is the call not loud enough, or clear enough? Are the threats not imminent enough, or is it something else....
Please consider these young men as an exa,ple of my wonderings:
442nd Regimental Combat Team Facts
Click to expand...
It's interesting that people who were treated like garbage loved this country more than some people who've had silver spoons in their mouths.

Of course the ones who actually remembered Japan knew the difference between freedom and its absence.
 
The 442nd trained at Camp Shelby Mississippi, about five miles from my house. One of them, Herbert Sasaki, married a local girl. He was in the movie. He was the guy that said he sexed chickens for a living. He worked at a local hatchery for many years after the war separating the baby hens from the roosters. His daughter Beverly is married to Gary Yamamoto, a pro bass fisherman. I recently purchased some of his lures. There is a monument at Camp Shelby honoring the 442nd.
 
Old TexMex said:
Brave young men, they didn't know they were going to the European theatre or to the Pacific, but they were going.
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Some Nisei and Sansei went to the Pacific where they were invaluable as interpreters and interrogators.

I believe that John George in "Shots Fired in Anger" talks about Japanese-American troops sneaking up to the Japanese lines in the dark and giving disruptive commands in Japanese as Japanese units attempted to form up for attacks. This caused pandemonium as green troops charged off into the night in response to their spurious commands, their officers and NCOs in hot pursuit.
 
My father was a Marine 2nd lieutenant, Japanese interpreter in the Pacific. He said the Army nisei interpreters with them were a helluva lot rougher interrogating prisoners than guys like he was. He also said that they needed to be sure to keep a white Marine with the nisei interpreters when they went to the latrine to avoid them being mistaken for the enemy.

Those 442 guys were unbelievable. The most decorated unit in US military history. Also the highest in combat casualties, if I recall correctly.
 
Aloha,

For those of you who have watched the movie, "Go For Broke",

and remember the scene in witch captured German troops have to duck

under a tree branch while the Nisei trooper is short enough to just walk

under, I keep thinking that could have been my uncle.

Yeah he's that short.

In the late 80's when fishing in Alaska, I met a 442 vet who carried a BAR.

We became Friends.

Funny thing is that he came thru combat without a scratch.

I saw him in the hospital just before he died of cancer.

He is interned at Punchbowl.

The 442 saved the Texas "Lost Battalion"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Battalion_(Europe,_World_War_II)
 
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crazyphil said:
Can't mention the 442nd without mentioning Daniel Inouye. Lost an arm
fighting Germans. Received Distinguished Service Cross. First Japanese
American in House of Representatives and Senate. Passed away in 2012.
Awarded Congressional Medal of Honor after his passing.
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Actually, Captain Inouye was awarded the Medal of Honor on June 21, 2000:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Inouye

Regards,

Dave
 
AFAIK the only proven cases of disloyalty by Japanese-Americans were Tokyo Rose and an interpreter at a POW camp. Another interpreter was indicted and tried, several POWs testified to his loyalty and he was acquitted. A Nisei went down on the Yamato, his parents sent him back to Japan for education, he was drafted into the Japanese Navy and put in communications because of his language skills.
 
BLACKHAWKNJ said:
AFAIK the only proven cases of disloyalty by Japanese-Americans were Tokyo Rose and an interpreter at a POW camp. Another interpreter was indicted and tried, several POWs testified to his loyalty and he was acquitted. A Nisei went down on the Yamato, his parents sent him back to Japan for education, he was drafted into the Japanese Navy and put in communications because of his language skills.
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Actually, I believe that Tokyo Rose was cleared.

The story of the Nisei on the Yamato is in the book, "A Glorious Way to Die".
 
The first Asian member of my old department, the Salt Lake County Sheriffs Office, was a 442nd veteran, "Tube" Horiuchi. A local state judge named Uno is, also. One of my best friends as a child was Japanese-American and his father was 442nd. I didn't know this until after he died, he never talked about his past. He was a successful businessman who owned his own business. A large number of 442 vets went on to do great things after the war, probably very difficult because of racism.
 
I met a Japanese American in the 80's when I lived in the Georgia Mountains. He walked point with the 101st Airborne in RVN. He said that they kept him in a VC haircut and black PJ's so that if he encountered the enemy, he would have a brief advantage to gain fire superiority, and warn his unit. He said there were a few occasions where he walked right in amongst the enemy-whew-better he than me!
 
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