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442nd Veterans Club of Honolulu

October 5, 2012

imageIn 1941 Japanese bombs rained down on Pearl Harbor and the U.S. government began to question the patriotism of Japanese-Americans. Before long, more than 100,000 Japanese-Americans on the mainland were forced from their homes and relocated to internment camps.

In Hawaiʻi, where nearly 40% of the population was of Japanese descent, Japanese-American soldiers in the Hawaiʻi National Guard were stripped of arms. Others in the Hawaiʻi Territorial Guard were discharged. These soldiers who had been in the UH ROTC program refused to abandon the war effort and petitioned the commander of the U.S. Army in Hawaiʻi to let them serve. The petition was granted and the Varsity Victory Volunteers was born.

In June 1942 the AJAs in the Hawaiʻi National Guard, reorganized into the Hawaiian Provisional Infantry Battalion, traveled to Wisconsin for training. Ten days later they were designated the 100th Infantry Battalion. Because of the battalion's admirable performance and growing pressure to allow citizens of Japanese ancestry to serve, the government approved the formation of a Japanese- American combat unit.

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team assembled in Mississippi, comprising 2,645 volunteers from Hawaiʻi, and 1,300 from the mainland. President Roosevelt authorized the formation of the 442nd Infantry Regimental Combat Team, the "Go for Broke" regiment, saying, "Americanism is not, and never was, a matter of race or ancestry."

Despite this, family members of the mainland AJA soldiers still remained behind barbed wire.

In June of 1944, the 442nd was joined by the 100th Battalion, known as the "Purple Heart Battalion" due to its casualty rate, in Italy. The combined unit, now known as the 442nd Regimental Combat Team began its fight north toward central Europe. During the battle in northeastern France, the high casualty rate resulted in the loss of nearly half its members.

Ultimately, this distinguished fighting team became the most decorated unit of its size and length of service in the Army. In total, they earned 18,000 awards including 21 Medals of Honor; 9,486 Purple Hearts and 7 Presidential Unit Citations.

To encourage today's young people to "go for broke" and make the most of their lives, the 442nd Veterans Club of Honolulu established an endowed scholarship fund for Hawaiʻi's young adults pursuing their academic dreams at any UH campus. This fund is part of the 442nd's legacy and a vehicle for veterans, family and friends to build the scholarship and help even more students with financial support.


If you would like to learn how you can support UH students and programs like this, please contact us at 808 376-7800 or send us a message.