FIGHTING FILIPINOS AND NISEI OF WORLD WAR II After the formation of the U.S. Armys 1st Filipino Battalion in April 1942 and later the activation of the 1st Filipino Regiment in July, the 2nd Regiment was born in November. From Camp San Luis Obispo to the Salinas Rodeo Grounds, Fort Ord became their temporary home and hub of training until after Christmas. During the winter months, the 1st Regiment relocated north to Camp Beale (near Marysville) while the 2nd Regiment moved to Camp Cooke near Lompoc. The 1st Regiment moved again to Camp Roberts (near Paso Robles) and the adjoining Hunter-Liggett Military Reservation. These units history would later be written in stone as they would engage Japanese forces in the Southwest Pacific Area of Operations. . In 1943, the U.S. Army later allowed Nisei (2nd Generation Japanese) men to volunteer or be drafted. They came from Hawaii and even from the internment camps on the mainland. As they volunteered, their Fathers advised them that this was their country and their loyalty must be to the United States. They were told: fight if you must and die if you must, but remember, don’t bring shame to your Family, to the community, or to your country. Approximately 3,800 Nisei served in the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT) with incredible honor and distinction, unmatched in the military history annals of the United States. The Nisei knew that much was at stake and that he had to fight with all of his resources. Once and for all prove, to those who doubted, the loyalty to their Families and their communities. The 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT) were segregated units with Caucasian officers first leading the helm. Just like the Filipino Regiments, qualified enlisted men were sent to Officer Candidate School (OCS) and became 90 Day Wonders. Now as Second Lieutenants, they were returned to their respective units to lead the men they were originally inducted with. Before deploying to Europe, their training took place at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Both the 442nd and 100th fought in eight (8) major campaigns in Italy and France: Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, Southern France, the Rhineland, North Apennines, Central Europe, and the Po Valley. These two (2) units liberated numerous towns and villages throughout Europe, including the Italian port city of Leghorn, and the strategic town of Bruyères, France. With such a high esprit de corps, these young Japanese Americans became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history The 442nd (RCT) was awarded eight (8) Presidential Unit Citations and twenty-one (21) of its members received the Medal of Honor (MOH). Many other Nisei served with distinction in the Military Intelligence Service as interpreters and translators in the Pacific.They were trained at Camp Savage, Minnesota and the Presidio of San Francisco, California.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 06:29:28 +0000
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