442nd Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team (Japanese: 第442連隊戦闘団) of the United States Army was a regimental size fighting unit. It was composed almost entirely of American soldiers of Japanese descent. The 442nd RCT <https://encyclopedia.densho.org/442nd%20Regimental%20Combat%20Team>formed in April 1943 of volunteers, mostly from Hawaii and some from the mainland USA where many came from the internment camps, joined the 100th Infantry Battalion <https://encyclopedia.densho.org/100th%20Infantry%20Battalion> in Italy in May 1944. The combined units earned an extraordinary combat record in Europe, emerging as one of the most decorated units in American military history. The 442nd, beginning in 1944, fought primarily in Europe during World War II.[2] The 442nd was a self-sufficient force. It fought with uncommon distinction in Italy, southern France, and Germany. The combined 100th/442nd is considered to be the most decorated infantry regiment in the history of the United States Army. The combined unit was awarded eight Presidential Unit Citations and twenty-one of its members were awarded the Medal of Honor for World War II.<https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Congressional%20Medal%20of%20Honor%20recipients> |url=http://www.defense.gov/specials/medalofhonor/ |title=Title unknown |access-date=January 1, 2013 |archive-date=October 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028212638/http://www.defense.gov/specials/medalofhonor/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The 442nd Regimental Combat Team motto was, "Go for Broke".
| 442nd Infantry Regiment | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
| Active | 1944–1946 1947–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Type | Regimental combat team (historical) 100th Infantry Battalion (current) |
| Role | Infantry |
| Size | One Battalion |
| Motto(s) | "Go for Broke" |
| Engagements | World War II Vietnam War War on Terror |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Colonel Charles W. Pence Colonel Virgil R. Miller |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive unit insignia |  |
| Shoulder sleeve insignia and former combat service identification badge of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team[1] |  |
References
- "Colors and Insignia". 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- "100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry". GlobalSecurity.org. 23 May 2005. Archived from the original on 11 September 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
References
- Asahina, Robert (2007). Just Americans: How Japanese Americans Won a War at Home and Abroad. Gotham Books. ISBN 978-1-59240-300-4.
- Chang, Thelma (November 1985). I Can Never Forget: Men of the 100th/442nd. Honolulu, HI: Sigi Productions. ISBN 978-0-9630228-0-6.
- Crost, Lyn (1994). Honor by Fire: Japanese Americans at War in Europe and the Pacific. Novato, CA: Presidio Press. ISBN 978-0-89141-521-3.
- Katz, Robert (August 2003). The Battle for Rome: The Germans, the Allies, the Partisans, and the Pope, September 1943–June 1944. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-1642-5.
- Moulin, Pierre (1993). U.S. Samurais in Bruyeres: People of France and Japanese Americans : Incredible Story. ISBN 978-2-9599984-0-9.
- Moulin, Pierre (2007). Dachau, Holocaust, and US Samurais: Nisei Soldiers First in Dachau?. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-4259-3801-7.
- Ready, J. Lee. (1985a). Forgotten Allies: The Military Contribution of the Colonies, Exiled Governments and Lesser Powers to the Allied Victory in World War II. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-89950-117-8.
- Ready, J. Lee (1985b). Forgotten Allies: The European Theatre. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-89950-129-1.
- Remembrances: 100th Infantry Battalion 50th Anniversary Celebration 1942-1992., 100th Infantry Battalion Publication Committee, 1992
- Shirey, Orville C. (1990). Americans: The Story of the 442d Combat Team (3 ed.). Washington: Infantry Journal Press.
- Steffen, Jordan (October 6, 2010), "White House honors Japanese American WWII veterans", The Los Angeles Times
- Steidl, Franz (2000). Lost Battalion. Novato: Presidio Press.
- Sterner, C. Douglas (2008). Go For Broke. Clearfield: American Legacy Historical Press.
- Tanaka, Diane (29 December 2005). "Colonel Young Oak Kim (U.S. Army Ret.), 86; Decorated U.S. WWII And Korean War Veteran" (Press release). Go For Broke National Education Center. Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- Williams, Rudi (19 May 2000). "21 Asian American World War II Vets to Get Medal of Honor" (Press release). United States Department of Defense. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
Other websites
Official sites
- 22 Asian Americans Inducted into Hall of Heroes Archived 2007-03-12 at the Wayback Machine (pentagon.mil)
- The "Go for Broke" Regiment Lives Duty, Honor, Country (defenselink.mil)
Resources
- Asian-Nation: 442nd RCT Rescue of the Lost Battalion
- Go For Broke National Education Center Archived 2004-04-23 at the Wayback Machine
- The 442nd Regimental Combat Team Archived 2003-02-27 at the Wayback Machine
- 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry
- Hawaii Star Bulletin article on Hawaii Statehood passage Archived 2008-06-13 at the Wayback Machine
- "U.S. Samurais in Bruyeres" by Pierre Moulin
- The Story of the 442nd Combat Team compiled by members of the 442nd Combat Team, Mitsuye Yamada papers, Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, via Calisphere.
- "From a Quiet American, a Story of War and Remembrance". The New York Times. 16 August 2008.
- Medal of Honor recipient George Joe Sakato on Veterans Chronicles Archived 2016-03-06 at the Wayback Machine produced by the
- Japanese American Veterans Collection Archived 2009-12-25 at the Wayback Machine, Archives & Manuscripts Department, University of Hawaii at Manoa Library
Media
- 442-Live with Honor, Die with Dignity: Documentary Film 2010
- Valor with Honor: documentary film on the Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team Archived 2013-03-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ONLY THE BRAVE Official Movie Site
- The Official Website for upcoming movie LITTLE IRON MEN about the 442nd's rescue of the Lost Battalion Archived 2007-12-21 at the Wayback Machine
- A Path to Lunch Liberation Day and the Liberation of America, the 442nd in Lunigiana and Versilia.
Organizations
- Americans of Japanese Ancestry World War II Memorial Alliance Archived 2012-02-09 at the Wayback Machine
- WWII Japanese American Veterans' Registry Archived 2012-02-09 at the Wayback Machine
- 442nd Regimental Combat Team Historical Society
- 442nd World War II Reenactors
- Go For Broke National Education Center