Posted on 03/16/2025 6:57:43 PM PDT by Jyotishi
[Video] After an outcry, the Army has republished a history of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team on its website.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Hawaii News Now) -- The U.S. Army has republished an article detailing the history of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team on it’s website.
https://www.army.mil/article/283793
The article was republished Saturday, replacing the webpage that was taken down sometime earlier this month,
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/03/14/history-nisei-go-broke-wwii-unit-removed-army-website/
triggering an outcry from relatives of members of the unit and others, including U.S. Congressmen Ed Case of Hawaii and Mark Takano of California, whose great uncle was a veteran of the 442nd.
The 442nd, combined with the 100th Infantry Battalion, remains the most decorated combat unit in history for its size and length of service. The World War II unit was made up mostly of second generation Japanese-Americans.
In a statement sent to Hawaii News Now Saturday, a U.S. Army spokesperson at the Pentagon said, “The 442nd Regimental Combat team holds an honored place in Army History and we are pleased to republish an article
https://www.army.mil/article/283793
that highlights the brave Soldiers who served in the “Go-for-Broke” brigade.”
The emailed statement continued,:
“In accordance with a Presidential Executive Order and guidance from the Secretary of Defense, the Army recently took down the Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders Heritage webpage that featured content about the 442nd Infantry Regiment and Nisei Soldiers. The Army is tirelessly working through content on that site and articles related to the 442nd Infantry Regiment and Nisei Soldiers will be republished to better align with current guidance.”
The link to the original webpage still goes to the Army’s official homepage.
Outcry? Maybe locally.
But will there be any outcry over this atrocity: “. . . the history of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team on it’s website.”
Another example of “malicious compliance.” I doubt anyone ever really thought the history of the 442nd should be taken down due to overweening DEI propaganda.
Trump and Hegseth never ordered ANY such course of action.
An outcry over the following?
“The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service during the entire history of the U.S. military. The 4,000 men, who initially came in April 1943, had to be replaced nearly 3.5 times. In total, about 14,000 men served, ultimately earning 9,486 Purple Hearts, 21 Medals of Honor and an unprecedented eight Presidential Unit Citations.
“The motto of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was “go for broke.” It is a gambling term that means risking everything on one great effort to win big. The Soldiers of the 442nd needed to win big. They were Nisei — American-born sons of Japanese immigrants. They fought two wars: the Germans in Europe and the prejudice in America.
[. . .]”
My three uncles served in the 442nd RCT during WW2.
I think over all America has been fortunate to have so many to serve her and serve her with honor, braver and for many up to the last full measurer even when it would take years to be acknowledged.
I salute them.
Another great part of history were the Niesi interpreters who accompanied American troops in the Pacific. They were instrumental in gathering intelligence, and late in the war helping to minimize casualties among civilians on Okinawa and other islands.
The Army and the racist General in charge whipped up the racism against the Japanese along the West Coast of the USA. The same General demanded the Army not send him any blacks. It is very telling that Hawaii, which did not fall under his purview, didn't intern Japanese Americans. Japanese are very sensitive to any actual or perceived slights over the 442nd and the intern camps.
To their credit, they returned home after the war ended and found their property sold off by the government, but they went on to rebuild their lives as Americans. When Congress finally awarded them a measly $40K, I believe, many refused the money out of pride and shame.
“ Another example of “malicious compliance.””
Yes. This article, along with ones on Justice Thurgood Marshall and Gen. Colin Powell were removed from DEI-specific pages, but not re-posted where they belong.
I first heard of the 442nd through the movie “Go For Broke.” These guys were real heroes who gave their all.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_for_Broke!_(1951_film)
There’s letter of the law and spirit of the law. DOD was not directed to erase the heroism of the unit and Japanese Americans. Part of the DEI memo stated removal of “identity-based programs”. Obviously the shoe doesn’t fit in reference to the 442nd RCT profile. People try to find anything to find fault in Sec. Hegseth.
“When Congress finally awarded them a measly $40K”
It wasn’t $40k, it was $20k. My father showed me his check and letter from George Bush in 1989.
If you died in 1985 and 1987, like my WW2 veteran uncles did, their families got NOTHING.
If you were on some kind of public assistance like my 90-year-old grandmother was, you got NOTHING.
If you were detained and imprisoned for a year the day after Pearl Harbor (but never charged) like my grandfather was, you never received an apology.
“Another great part of history were the Niesi interpreters who accompanied American troops in the Pacific. They were instrumental in gathering intelligence, and late in the war helping to minimize casualties among civilians on Okinawa and other islands.”
These interpreters were recruited from the Kibei, American born but educated in Japan. There were about 10,000 Kibei in 1941 and eventually about 6000 volunteered for the Army Military Intelligence Service. Virtually no one educated in the United States was chosen and those selected were heavily scrutinized by the military.
The ones stranded in Japan in December 1941 had the unfortunate duty of being forced into the Japanese military.
Secretary of the Army needs to find out who ordered this. If it was was malicious compliance, cashier them. If it was not malicious compliance, cashier them anyway as they have demonstrated a level of unacceptable stupidity and decision making that is intolerable in the Army.
It is one of the most disgraceful moments in our history and should never be forgotten. I became interested because I trained with a Nisei whose parents were interned. His father refused the money, it was a slap in the face and added to their shame.
I am only guessing, but it sounds like the site taken down was a Heritage month site. Those have been ordered removed. The official site is still up on Army.com.
https://www.army.mil/article/283793/key_military_unit_the_442nd_regimental_combat_team
“ome of the land now encompasses places like Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. In most cases, interned Japanese Americans were forced to sell the land for pennies on the dollar. In other cases, the land was confiscated and sold outright.”
Yes, that was the case for both my mother and father’s families. My father was especially ticked off because they had to give up their German shepherd named Bouncer.
My mother’s cousins were luckier: they had a kind neighbor who held their farm and home for them.
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