The stories in this section cover a variety of subjects and provide additional insights into the history and men of the 100th Infantry Battalion.
“Nisei Soldiers of Hawaii” reviews the life of the Japanese community and “Hapa Soldiers”and “The 100 th Soldiers of Hawaiian Ancestry” acknowledge the mixed race and Hawaiian men who were original battalion members.
Most of the Japanese soldiers of Japanese ethnicity were assigned to the 298 th and 299 th Infantry when they were drafted in 1940. Originally part of the Territorial Guard, the unit was federalized and became the Hawaii National Guard. “The 298 th and 299 th Story” explains the political climate in Washington, D.C. and Hawaii during this period before war was declared.
“Inclusion Vs Exclusion: The Battle of the Home Front” provides an overview of conditions in Hawaii prior and after the United States entered World War II. It examines the effects of martial law during this period and the military, government and community leaders of different ethnicities who worked together to prevent the mass evacuation of Japanese residents despite pressure from Washington, D.C. Their actions also resulted in the military governor of Hawaii recommending the formation of an all Japanese American army unit.
Baseball was a hugely popular sport in Hawaii prior to World War II. Among the soldiers of the 100th were well known baseball players. While the 100th was training in Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, “The Aloha Team” was formed and, accompanied by its musicians, traveled throughout the state playing other baseball teams. The author, Sam Yamashita, is the son of one the Aloha Team members.
“Kotonks vs Buddhaheads” explains the reasons for the initial tensions between the Hawaii-born and U.S.mainland-born Japanese soldiers when they first encountered each other at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.
Earl Finch was a southern white man during a time when racist laws and customs regulating social interaction between races were still the norm in Mississippi. He befriended the Nisei soldiers of the 100th and 442nd while they were training at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg and when they were recovering from their wounds in hospitals throughout the United States. His generosity and acts of friendship should not be forgotten.
The Yoshinao “Turtle” Omiya story is about a veteran who lived with the results of his combat experience for the rest of his life.