It is a fact of history that the most decorated unit in American warfare was composed of Asian Americans.
They are the Nisei — second-generation Japanese American — soldiers of the 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
And if you don’t know about them, your education was deficient.
I am quoting from this blog post of which I was made aware by a friend of Korean ancestry through her Facebook post.
Consider the following:
The 100th/442nd Infantry was replenished nearly 2.5 times by the time the war ended. About 14,000 soldiers served in total. In recognition of their allegiance, the unit received eight Presidential Unit Citations.
Meanwhile, members received a total of 18,143 awards, including 21 Medals of Honor, 52 Distinguished Service Cross, 1 Distinguished Service Medal, 560 Silver Stars, 22 Legion of Merit Medals, 15 Soldier’s Medals, 4,000 Bronze Stars and of course, 9,486 Purple Hearts.
Among those Medals of Honor was the late Senator Daniel Inouye, who did not receive his upgraded honor until Bill Clinton was President.
Among their exploits was their rescue of a unit from Texas:
The all-new 100th/442nd Infantry soon engaged in more battles. They pushed Germans out of Italy, liberated towns in France and rescued soldiers of the “Lost Battalion” — 211 men of the 1st Battalion, 141st Regiment of the 36th “Texas” Division who found themselves surrounded by Germans
I remember years ago reading about one of the veterans of that unit getting stopped for speeding in rural Texas. When the officer who stopped him asked what a Jap was doing in rural Texas, the vet took offense, pulled out a card which declared him an honorary Texan for that rescue. The officer knew what that meant, and with siren blaring escorted the vet into the nearby small town where he got honored in an ad hoc ceremony.
As I read this, I thought of a more recent illustration of a similar kind of patriotism, a young Captain of Muslim soldiers who told his troops to stay back as he approached a car that was coming towards their checkpoint, and thus Captain Humayan Khan lost his life.
Patriotism is not defined by who are parents were. Patriotism is defined by our commitment to the American ideal, which should be one of inclusion, that welcomes all who wish to be part of our 200 year old experiment in self-governance.
I am a veteran, someone who chose to enlist in the USMC despite opposing the war in Vietnam. That makes me no more patriotic than those I know who chose alternative service, or in a few cases prison rather than serve in a war they viewed as illegitimate, as a violation of the principles of our government.
At a time when some would limit whom they would include in the American experiment, perhaps the following from that blog post is appropriate:
It must be noted, however, that while the Nisei of the 100th/442nd Infantry demonstrated allegiance to the American flag, they were still perceived as enemies when they returned home. Employers did not want to hire them and many of their families remained in concentration camps.
On the streets, one sign blasted “We don’t want any Japs back here… ever!”
It was a difficult time, but Harry S. Truman, who was president at the time, had their backs. He commented on the abuse of the returning Japanese:
“These disgraceful actions almost make you believe that a lot of our Americans have a streak of Nazi in them…it certainly makes me ashamed.”
The more I have learned about Harry Truman over the years, the more I have decided I admire him. I had not known of this statement, but it is of a piece with his executive order desegregating the military, and his recognition of the newly independent Israel over the opposition of his own State Department. He also advocated for universal health care.
And certainly the words quoted from him are applicable today:
“These disgraceful actions almost make you believe that a lot of our Americans have a streak of Nazi in them…it certainly makes me ashamed.”
Too bad instead we have a President who says of Charlottesville for example that there were a lot of good people on both sides.
There is too much of our history of which most Americans are unaware — labor history is a major part of it. So are the contributions of many minorities and of women. The exemplary service of the 100th Battalion / 442nd Regimental Combat Team is something of which ALL should be aware.
Read the blog post.
Learn.
Pass it on.
Peace.