442nd Regimental Combat Team

The 100th Infantry Battalion began as part of the Hawaii National Guard. On June 5, 1942, 1,432 men left Hawaii for training at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, and later at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. The 100th shipped out to North Africa on August 23, 1943, and saw heavy action in Italy. Because of its heavy casualties and many honors, the 100th became known as the "Purple Heart Battalion." The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was initially formed in 1943 from Japanese American volunteers from Hawaii and the mainland. Perhaps not surprisingly, only about 1,250 Japanese Americans volunteered from the concentration camps. In Hawaii, where there was no mass removal, almost 10,000 volunteered. The 442nd arrived in Italy in June 1944 where the battle-tested 100th Infantry Battalion became its 1st Battalion. In seven major campaigns, the 442nd became the most decorated unit for its size and length of service; the unit suffered 9,476 casualties, more than 300 percent of its original strength.

World War II (239)
Military service (3285)
442nd Regimental Combat Team (3015)

Related articles from the Densho Encyclopedia :
442nd Regimental Combat Team, Mark W. Clark, Sadamitsu Neil Fujita, Go for Broke! (film), Stanley Hayami, Daniel Inouye, Mike Masaoka, Kazuo Masuda, Rescue of the Lost Battalion

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3015 items
Tosh Yasutake Interview Segment 19 (ddr-densho-1000-138-19)
vh Tosh Yasutake Interview Segment 19 (ddr-densho-1000-138-19)
Working as a medic at the battalion aid station: "very chaotic"

William Toshio Yasutake was interviewed together with his sister Mitsuye (Yasutake) Yamada and surviving brother, Joseph Yasutake, in group sessions on October 8-9, 2002. He was interviewed individually on November 14, 2002.

Before being contacted by Densho, the Yasutake siblings had planned to conduct their …

John Kanda Interview Segment 8 (ddr-densho-1000-116-8)
vh John Kanda Interview Segment 8 (ddr-densho-1000-116-8)
Reflecting on wartime losses and accomplishments, including unit's seventh Presidential Citation

This interview is part of a collaborative effort of the Puyallup Valley Japanese American Citizens League and Densho.

Bill Thompson Segment 13 (ddr-densho-1000-90-13)
vh Bill Thompson Segment 13 (ddr-densho-1000-90-13)
Relations between the Hawaiian and mainland Nisei soldiers at Camp Shelby, Mississippi

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii. Given the full conference schedule, interviews conducted at the reunion were shorter in length than typical Densho interviews and concentrated on a single topic, namely, the …

Bill Thompson Segment 17 (ddr-densho-1000-90-17)
vh Bill Thompson Segment 17 (ddr-densho-1000-90-17)
Reflections

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii. Given the full conference schedule, interviews conducted at the reunion were shorter in length than typical Densho interviews and concentrated on a single topic, namely, the individual's military service during World War II.

Bill Thompson Segment 16 (ddr-densho-1000-90-16)
vh Bill Thompson Segment 16 (ddr-densho-1000-90-16)
The spirit of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii. Given the full conference schedule, interviews conducted at the reunion were shorter in length than typical Densho interviews and concentrated on a single topic, namely, the individual's military service during …

Lawson I. Sakai Segment 8 (ddr-densho-1000-472-8)
vh Lawson I. Sakai Segment 8 (ddr-densho-1000-472-8)
Volunteering for the army and going through basic training
Lawson I. Sakai Segment 18 (ddr-densho-1000-472-18)
vh Lawson I. Sakai Segment 18 (ddr-densho-1000-472-18)
Involvement in the campaign for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team to receive the Congressional Gold Medal
Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 25 (ddr-densho-1000-92-25)
vh Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 25 (ddr-densho-1000-92-25)
Camp Shelby, Mississippi: gaining the respect of the Japanese Americans from Hawaii

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 23 (ddr-densho-1000-92-23)
vh Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 23 (ddr-densho-1000-92-23)
Parents' reaction to decision to fight in WWII, "He's nothing but a little kid"

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 44 (ddr-densho-1000-92-44)
vh Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 44 (ddr-densho-1000-92-44)
Single-handedly capturing a group of German officers

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 33 (ddr-densho-1000-92-33)
vh Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 33 (ddr-densho-1000-92-33)
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team earns the nickname "Little Iron Men" from the Germans

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 38 (ddr-densho-1000-92-38)
vh Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 38 (ddr-densho-1000-92-38)
Description of a company runner's duties, being privy to confidential information

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 30 (ddr-densho-1000-92-30)
vh Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 30 (ddr-densho-1000-92-30)
The dedication of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team officers to the men in their unit

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 39 (ddr-densho-1000-92-39)
vh Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 39 (ddr-densho-1000-92-39)
Getting an inside perspective on company and headquarters

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 28 (ddr-densho-1000-92-28)
vh Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 28 (ddr-densho-1000-92-28)
Nisei soldiers befriend black soldiers and break segregation rules

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 48 (ddr-densho-1000-92-48)
vh Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 48 (ddr-densho-1000-92-48)
The battle of the "Lost Battalion"; memories of Colonel Pursall standing up for his menRegimental Combat Team lives

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 43 (ddr-densho-1000-92-43)
vh Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 43 (ddr-densho-1000-92-43)
Hearing about Hawaiian Nisei soldiers' visit to the incarceration campsfrom the mainland

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 24 (ddr-densho-1000-92-24)
vh Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 24 (ddr-densho-1000-92-24)
Called up for military duty at seventeen years old

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 36 (ddr-densho-1000-92-36)
vh Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 36 (ddr-densho-1000-92-36)
Officers' appreciation for Nisei soldiers

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 47 (ddr-densho-1000-92-47)
vh Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 47 (ddr-densho-1000-92-47)
Finding a common language, communicating in Japanese with Brazilian officers

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 40 (ddr-densho-1000-92-40)
vh Rudy Tokiwa Interview II Segment 40 (ddr-densho-1000-92-40)
Having the ability to make independent decisions during dangerous situations

This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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