“Go for Broke!” was the motto of the legendary 442nd Infantry Regiment. This regiment was predominantly composed of Japanese Americans, many of whom were born in Hawaii. They fought with great heroism in Italy, southern France, and Germany. This famous unit passed through the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation April 21, 1944. We recently found these images in The Mariners’ Museum library as documented in the photo gallery below.
The 442ndis renowned for being the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of American warfare.Kathryn Shenkle, a historian at Arlington National Cemetery, notes, “Members of this unit earned over 18,000 individual decorations including 9,486 Purple Hearts, and 5,200 Bronze Stars. The Combat Team earned five Presidential Citations in 20 days of Rhineland fighting, the only military unit ever to claim that achievement.” After the war a few men went on to achieve great personal success likeU.S. Senator Daniel Inouye.
These achievements are made all the more remarkable considering the great suspicion Japanese Americans endured from the government and the general public following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. More than 100,000 persons of Japanese descent wereforcibly relocatedduring WWII. Later in the war some Japanese American men volunteered or were drafted into the service. Perhaps they felt like they had something to prove? Units such as the 442nd were also known asNiseiunits, a Japanese word referring to someone born in the Americas of Japanese parents.
In the U.S. Army Signal Corps photos below we see the 442nd Infantry Regiment moving by train to the pier, making their way to their transport, and walking up the gangplank. This not only documents an important piece of American military history, but also illustrates the process by which large numbers of troops moved from one place to another.
Reinforcements arrive
The photos below are also of Nisei units and dated April 27, 1945. These men are designated as “replacements” and are sailing for Italy to relieve similar units such as the 442nd. Perhaps fortune was kinder to them as VE Day would come May 8, 1945.
More on the 442nd…
The University of Hawaii at Manoa library houses documents relating to the 442nd Infantry Regiment. You can access digitized versions of the papershere.
The legend of the 442nd Infantry Regiment made it to the big screen in 1951 withGo For Broke!这部电影由范·约翰逊（Van Johnson）主演的白人公司（White Co），最初表现出对他的单位的偏见，但由于他的士兵在战斗中与众不同，因此克服了这一赤字。（下载电影here.它也在YouTube上。）
Go for Broke monument, Los Angeles, California
2006年第442位退伍军人
