Both of California's representatives in the U.S. Senate have joined an effort to grant a Congressional Gold Medal to the Japanese-American veterans of World War II who fought in the famed 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and other units.
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer recently introduced legislation calling for the special honor, which, along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, is the highest civilian award granted by the federal government. The honor has been bestowed on a wide range of U.S. citizens and foreign dignitaries.
Dianne Feinstein, California's other senator, has co-sponsored the bill to extend the honor the Japanese-American veterans, who put aside tumult at home to fight on the faraway battlefields of World War II. The battlefield exploits won them respect as members of what became known as of the Go for Broke Regiment and the Nisei Battalion. Many of the soldiers came from Los Angeles, and even more from Hawaii, where the phrase "go for broke" served as a call to make every effort toward a goal. Nisei is a Japanese word that describes someone of Japanese descent born outside the island nation.
Other honors for valor won by members of the various Japanese-American units included seven Presidential Unit Citations, 15 Soldiers Medals, 22 Legion of Merit Medals, 29 Distinguished Service Crosses, 560 Silver Stars, 4,000 Bronze Stars, and more than 4,000 Purple Hearts, among others. The total puts them among thee most decorated units in U.S. military history.
Those honors came while the families of many of the soldiers were being held in relocation camps operated by the U.S. government. Federal authorities said at the time that they established the camps over concerns that members of the ethnic community would act to support Japan, an enemy of the U.S. in the conflict. The federal government in recent years issued a formal apology for the roundups and internment camps.
The Go For Broke name now lends itself to a monument that stands in tribute to the veterans just north of 1st Street and Central Avenue in Little Tokyo. A non-profit organization called the Go For Broke Educational Foundation oversees the monument and other programs related to the veterans and their history.
The Go For Broke Educational Foundation and various other advocates have been seeking commemorations for the Nisei veterans for decades, and the efforts appear to have gained momentum in recent years. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors earlier this year made a formal request of federal officials to issue a stamp in honor of the veterans. And U.S. Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard recently secured funding for an educational center to be built near the Go for Broke monument in Little Tokyo.
Those efforts also come as the number of living World War II vets shrink, with most of the remaining representatives in their 80s or older. Part of the federal money recently designated for the educational center would be used to further recent efforts to capture the personal histories of the veterans on videotape.
The Congressional Gold Medal would likely be a highlight in terms of public recognition for the Nisei vets, and the effort has gained traction in the U.S. House of Representatives. U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, whose 29th District is based in Pasadena, has introduced legislation that would serve as a companion to the effort by Boxer in the Senate.
Such legislation must pass both the Senate and House of Representatives, and then be signed by the president, in order to become law.
Related articles:
* Push for USPS to Give Nisei Vets a Stamp of Approval
* Educational Center on Japanese-American Vets' WWII Experience Gets $4 Million Boost
Related links:
* Go For Broke National Education Center
Sam Hassan is a writer for the L.A. Garment & Citizen.
Photo of Go For Broke Monument by L.A. Garment & Citizen; photo of Senator Barbara Boxer from boxer.senate.gov
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