…oys and backed them up 100 percent!” “On one occasion, I remember when our company, E Company, was moved up to take over A Company’s place because they got shot up. We had one of the boys in the cornfield, wounded on the leg… (Lovell) got good scolding from the Colonel because he went off the road and into the bushes to go get the person in the cornfield. He picked him up and carried him back. The Colonel said, “You’ve got no business going out th…

…under martial law. Chaos ensued. Fear and suspicion of the local Japanese community grew unchecked, and in some communities, neighbors, colleagues and friends turned on each other. “FBI men came to our house and roughed up our father,” said a decorated veteran, recalling how his hard-working, merchant father was treated. “I had to restrain myself from roughing them up, too.” The FBI also began rounding up Buddhist and Shinto priests and even a fe…

…ves with heroic or meritorious achievement or service, primarily in ground combat. This medal is accompanied by a bronze letter “V” to indicate combat heroism. Division Commendation 30 Presented to any member of the U.S. Armed Forces other than a general officer, this medal is awarded to individuals who distinguish themselves through heroism, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service. Purple Heart 1703 The Purple Heart is awarded to those wh…

…Japanese soldiers based on their scent. This would be especially useful in combat in the Pacific theater, the suggestion noted.  The B Company soldiers would be used to test this theory. In the book “Japanese Eyes . . . American Heart: Personal Reflections of Hawaii’s World War II Nisei Soldiers,” Raymond Nosaka, selected for the project, recalled having his right arm wrapped in protective gear. “The dogs were trained to leap and attack the soldie…

…officers were graduates of the University of Hawaii and had received their commissions by completing the ROTC program. On May 28, 1942, the 1,432 men  — now known as the Hawaiian Provisional Infantry Battalion — were assembled at Schofield Barracks. While the majority of the enlisted men were of Japanese ancestry, a few of other ethnicities chose to join the unit. All of the soldiers’ weapons were confiscated and no passes were issued. The men wer…

…was a large contributing factor for the activation of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, comprised of Americans of Japanese ancestry, on February 1, 1943. On April 6, 1943, Eugene participated in field maneuvers with the 100th at Camp Claiborne in Louisiana. They completed their training, and returned to Camp Shelby on June 9, 1943. Eugene said that the 442nd had arrived at Camp Shelby during their absence, and were quartered next door to the 100th…

…100th, Company F of the Second Battalion, and a platoon from the Anti-Tank Company, was formed. Commanded by Fukuda, it helped to break the final line of German resistance in northern Italy. The next month, on May 7th just before the war in Europe had officially ended, Fukuda was awarded the rank of major. Two months later, on July 7th, Major Fukuda was named the twelfth and last commanding officer of the 100th Battalion, the first Asian American…

…books about the 100th concerning the motto the War Department initially recommended for the battalion. The Department had recommended “Be of Good Courage” but Colonel Turner prevailed and “Remember Pearl Harbor” became the 100th’s motto. However, in the 1954 book, “Ambassadors In Arms: The Story of Hawaii’s 100th Battalion,” by Professor Thomas Murphy, the recommended motto was recalled as “Be of Good Cheer.” This motto was later repeated in the…