H74.442.1

Patch. Description: patch of 442nd Regimental Combat Team. From the History Information Station: Object: Patch of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. History: After the outbreak of World War II Japanese Americans of draft age were classified as 4-C, "enemy aliens." However, when the Army began recruiting Japanese Americans again in January 1943, thousands volunteered from within the barbed wire detention camps. In January 1944, the draft was reinstated for Japanese Amercians. Some felt it important to refuse draft notices while still imprisoned without a charge, others refused combat training while their families were still incarcerated. In January 1943, the all-Japanese 442nd RCT was formed and united with the 100th Infantry Battalion, a Japanese battalion formed in Hawaii in May 1942. The 100/442nd RCT became the most decorated unit in U. S. military history for its size and length of service. There were over 18,000 individual decorations for bravery, 9,500 Purple Hearts, and eight Presidential Distinguished Unit Citations. Gift of Eugene Kodani

Used: Japanese American Internment | 442nd Regimental Combat Team | World War II | U. S. military