…. Tomai went to Italy and France with the 100th Battalion. A sergeant in B Company, he was the company clerk and responsible for collecting part of the men’s paychecks that went to a fund for the formation of the Club 100 after the war. In Italy he fell in love with opera and would always sing arias around the house. Club 100 was always a part of his heart. When he returned to Hawaii after the war, Tomai married his girlfriend, Thelma Tanaka, with…

…the view that trust breeds trust. In mid-1940, the FBI investigated and recommended prosecuting the 240 community volunteers of Japan’s consulate, charactering them as “consular agents” who had failed to register with the U.S. State Department under terms of recently-passed U.S. security legislation. Short opposed this move, arguing that it would diminish the good will that was developing with the Nisei soldier. If we expect loyalty from a second…

…as if I were King Kamehameha,” Matsunaga related. Dan Inouye recalled his company commander, Capt. Ensminger, a white officer from Honolulu, speaking in controlled anger, “We have received a notice from the state of Mississippi, that as long as the 442nd trains in Mississippi, it will conduct itself as WHITE soldiers.” The captain continued, “You are required to observe the laws and traditions of Mississippi as they relate to our relations. “I kn…

…ity. From the USO in New York City, service personnel in uniform could get free tickets to the various sources of entertainment in New York. We managed to see the Rockettes perform at the Radio City Music Hall and the Andrews Sisters at one of the theaters. Usually there would be a line waiting to get in to see the shows. The ushers would come by and escort all service personnel in uniform to the front of the line, thereby not losing valuable leav…

…ject a special note. When I first joined the unit, I was made aware of one company commander who seemed gruff and complaining much of the time. To get to know him better I marched beside him as we advanced into fighting positions. I quickly learned why he was upset; he wanted to fight in the Pacific theater because if we did not fight against the Japanese, after the war some would say that AJA’s fought against Caucasians but would not fight agains…

…here today to remember those gallant men who made the supreme sacrifice in combat and those who have passed on since the war. As President Truman once said: “You fought for the free nations of the world.. you fought not only the enemy, you fought prejudice, and you have won. Keep up that fight, and continue to win… to make this great Republic stand for just what the Constitution says it stands for: the welfare of all the people, all the time.” Men…

…h our memories of buddies we left in Italy and France. We fought so we can come home and live as free Americans, to share our hopes and despairs, our sorrows and happiness with all mankind. We are not going to band together and demand our rights and privileges as Japanese–as a racial group. If there is a necessity to demand our rights as veterans, we will join with a powerful and responsible veterans’ organization and fight as veterans, but not as…

…that appears on The Hawaii Memory Project (University of Hawaii, Kapiolani Community College), 100th veteran Moriso Teraoka recalled arriving in France at the end of 1944 and being assigned to Company D in Menton: “One of my first impressions of war came not in fighting the enemy but after eating a hot meal. When I went to empty my mess kit in the garbage can, an elderly man thrust his container in my face, motioning me to empty my leftovers into…

…obert recalls, were the soldiers from 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team. He delivered their babies, went on house calls and took care of their families. When he was not at work, he spent most of his free time with Mildred and Robert. His son remembers him as “a loving dad who always had time to play football or catch with me.” He was passionate about golf (he had a single digit handicap), and played regularly with his close friends….