442nd Regiment

US 442nd Infantry Regiment “Go For Broke” Charles Amer

The Story of the Persecuted American Heroes

America Suddenly Thrust into Global War for Power

On December 7th, 1941 the lives of Americans everywhere would be disrupted by a surprise attack launched by the Japanese in the early dawn at Pearl Harbor. Content with sitting out the war since it started in 1939, Americans now have to prepare themselves for the inevitable and fight a war on two fronts. The United States quickly mobilizes for war as Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto reportedly writes in his journal “I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”

As Emotions Run High, Americans are Persecuted

Two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066 which allows regional military commanders to designated exclusion zones. While not specifically mentioning it, the executive order allows the military to send people of Japanese, German, and Italian descent to internment camps. It was predominantly Japanese immigrants and their descendants that would face the brunt of this executive order as between 110,000 and 120,000 Japanese Americans were forced into the camps. It didn’t matter if you had just emigrated to the US or if you were born in the US, if you had Japanese ancestry you risked being interned without a trial. As the architect of the program, Colonel Karl Bendetsen said “I am determined that if they have one drop of Japanese blood in them they must all go to camp.”

In the Fires of Prejudice, American Heroes are Born

On March 23rd, 1943 more than 12,000 second-generation Japanese Americans answered the call of duty to fight for the country that had persecuted them. Many of the volunteers enlisting to fight for their government within the internment camps that same government had thrown them into the previous year.

The men were eager to prove that they were Americans who were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Unable to fight in the Pacific Theater due to their Japanese heritage, the men were shipped to the European Front to punch Hitler’s Nazi Germany in the teeth. During their two years of fighting in Europe, the men of the regiment would earn more than 18,000 awards including 21 Medals of Honor. They would earn the nickname the “Purple Heart Battalion.”

Monument Design

My monument design would be a painted mural that would essentially be split into three different sections. The left-most section would be men of the 442nd rushing into battle in the Italian countryside while explosions and ordinance rains down on them.

The center of the mural would be of portraits of three men of the 442nd who will be looking directly at observers of the mural. Above them would be 21 stars representing the Medals of Honor they had received and the Regiment’s motto “Go For Broke.”

The right-most part of the mural would be Japanese Americans being held behind a barbed wire fence as they are forced to live in the internment camps.

I would like the borders of the three sections to blend seamlessly with each other, and I won’t be including the American flag unless it’s part of the soldiers’ uniforms because this mural is a remembrance of the unit and the hardships they faced both at home and away.

Memorial Location

On campus, I would put the mural within Horizon Hall. Like the Word Wall within it, I think that this mural would help contribute to the flowing of conversation when it comes to the United States morally grey history. I think the mural would allow students to not only learn a piece of history I feel not many people know, but I think it’s one of many examples of how sometimes the people who fight the hardest for this country are the same people this country persecutes.

Outside of campus, I would put this mural in the Smithsonian American History Museum. I know it’s a bit on the nose, but I feel like this unit deserves the recognition and deserves to be immortalized within the museum. The adversity they overcame and how they were the most decorated unit in American military history is nothing short of remarkable.

References: -, D. V., By, -, Duane VachonDuane A. Vachon PhD is a psychologist and a Secular Franciscan. He has several books published and has had hundreds of articles on social justice and spiritual issues published. His Doctoral thesis on ethics has set the standard at many universities. Reach Dr. Vachon at vachon.duane@ gmail.com, Vachon, D., & Duane A. Vachon PhD is a psychologist and a Secular Franciscan. He has several books published and has had hundreds of articles on social justice and spiritual issues published. His Doctoral thesis on ethics has set the standard at many universities. Reach Dr. Vachon at vachon.duane@gmail. com. (2017, March 13). The Most Decorated Unit in American History -- (442nd REGIMENT). Retrieved October 27, 2021, from http://www.hawaiireporter.com/ the-most-decorated-unit-in-american-history-442nd-regiment/ 442nd Infantry Regiment (United States). (2021, October 15). Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/442nd_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States) 442nd Infantry Regiment : American Casualties. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?page=features&tid=29 442nd Regimental Combat Team. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/442nd-Regimental-Combat-Team Axelrod, J. (2019, April 08). This Japanese-American Army unit is the reason we celebrate National ‘Go For Broke’ Day. Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https:// www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/04/05/this-japanese-american-army-unit-is-the-reason-we-celebrate-national-go-for-broke-day/ Colors and Insignia. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.100thbattalion.org/history/battalion-history/colors-insignia/ The Ukulele During World War II: The 442nd Infantry Regiment. (2018, November 14). Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.ukulelemag.com/stories/theukulele-during-world-war-ii-the-442nd-infantry-regiment