[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1825-E1826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    GRANTING CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO JAPANESE AMERICAN BATTALION

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 23, 2010

  Mr. HONDA. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 1055, a bill 
to grant the Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the 100th 
Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, United States 
Army, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.
  The United States will forever be indebted to the Japanese Americans 
soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental 
Combat Team, United States Army, for their bravery, valor, and 
dedication to the country.
  Though many of their families were unjustly incarcerated in 
internment camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans 
still fought to prove their loyalty to the United States of America. 
More than 20,000 Japanese Americans enlisted in the U.S. Army, 
approximately 14,000 of whom served in the 100th Infantry Battalion and 
the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The Japanese American 442nd 
Regimental Combat Team, including the 100th Infantry Battalion, became 
the

[[Page E1826]]

most decorated unit for its size and length of service in American 
military history. Among their numerous awards, the Japanese American 
soldiers of World War II earned 21 Medals of Honor, 52 Distinguished 
Service Crosses, 559 Silver Stars, 4,000 bronze stars, nine (9) 
Presidential Unit Citations, and 9,486 Purple Hearts. The 442nd saw the 
highest percent of casualties of any unit in the Army, earning it the 
nickname ``Purple Heart Battalion.''
  Nisei men fought for the U.S. and its allies across Europe in many 
key battles. The 442nd waged eight major campaigns in France, Germany, 
and Italy. Most notably, the 442nd led a heroic drive into enemy lines 
to free the surviving 211 members of a Texas unit who were trapped by 
the Germans in the rescue of the Lost Battalion. The governor of Texas 
would later name them ``Honorary Texans'' for their actions. 
Additionally, the Japanese American soldiers liberated towns such as 
Bruyeres, Biffontaine, and Belvedere. They also freed Holocaust victims 
from one of the Dachau concentration camps in Germany.
  Japanese Americans also served with great distinction in the Pacific 
Theater in the U.S. Army's Military Intelligence Service, MIS. Through 
their command of the Japanese language, they greatly facilitated Allied 
war efforts and the MIS is credited with shortening the war in the 
Pacific by at least two years.
  As a Japanese American who spent part of my childhood in Amache 
internment camp in Colorado, I am humbled by the perseverance of these 
Nisei soldiers through the difficult struggle against racial prejudices 
and discrimination that they endured both during and after the war. 
Having valiantly fought to liberate the world from tyranny and 
oppression while their own families were imprisoned back home, the 
100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and the 
Military Intelligence Service are true American heroes. The unrelenting 
patriotism of these veterans, now in their late 80s and early 90s, 
paved the way for reconciliation and redress, and the full racial 
integration of the Armed Forces thereafter.
  Once again, Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
supporting S. 1055 to grant the congressional gold medal, collectively, 
to the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 
in recognition of their patriotism and dedicated service during World 
War II.

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