""Go For Broke": The Story Behind the Most Decorated Military" Topic

…Unit in U.S. History

"In 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain Steve Rogers single-handedly frees captured Allied soldiers from a Nazi base. "What, are we taking everybody?" one soldier asks, referring to another soldier who appears to be Japanese. "I'm from Fresno," the soldier retorts.

The scene was a hat tip to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, an all-Japanese-American regiment that, during World War II, became the most decorated unit in U.S. history—a distinction it still holds. Members of the 442nd earned 21 Medals of Honor, 52 Distinguished Service Crosses, five Presidential Unit Citations in just one month, and 9486 Purple Hearts, along with thousands of other honors, during the regiment's two active years in World War II. Yet when asked about their distinguished service, most of them said they were simply doing their duty…"

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Armand

Great article, thanks flor sharing!

a good friend of mines dad, who was born in Hawaii was a junior officer in the 442nd RCT, he was surprised about how much I knew about the unit. His dad was pretty quiet about his service as most men who saw extensive combat in the wars are.

One of the better WW2 movies is about that unit.

Glad you enjoyed it ….

Armand

One of the better WW2 movies is about that unit.

Go for Broke!

With Van Johnson. It can't be a proper 1950s US war movie without Van Johnson!

This is dodgy ground.

The Japanese-origin, but US nationality, soldiers served with incredible distinction in WWII.

Jewish refugees, of German nationality, in England, were treated with the same degree of scepticism, but eventually were allowed into the most menial roles, pioneer battalions. Only later did the powers that be realise what an intelligence resource they had.

Was this the racial discrimination that was actually almost unknown back in 1940s UK?

Let's recall that these folk all had relatives back home. This left them open to blackmail and acting as potential intelligence threats. The early days of internment camps, either side of the Atlantic, that are so infamous now, were not that unreasonable at the time.

And not a patch on what the Axis Powers were doing.

Thanks.

Armand

Let's recall that these folk all had relatives back home. This left them open to blackmail and acting as potential intelligence threats. The early days of internment camps, either side of the Atlantic, that are so infamous now, were not that unreasonable at the time.

Yeah, but in the USA case, that would apply equally to German and Italian immigrants. I think there was a bit of racial discrimination at work in the case of the Nisei.