[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 16, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            COMMEMORATING THE ``GO FOR BROKE'' FOREVER STAMP

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JUDY CHU

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 16, 2021

  Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I rise today to join Congressmember Ed Case 
and my colleagues in the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus to 
commemorate the ``Go For Broke'' Forever Stamp issued by the U.S. 
Postal Service earlier this month. This stamp honors the over 30,000 
Japanese American soldiers of the 100th Battalion and the 442nd 
Regimental Combat Team who bravely served our country during World War 
II. Despite facing intense racism and discrimination, these soldiers 
fought valiantly to defend our nation and went on to become the most 
highly decorated military unit in U.S. history.
  The courage of this all Japanese American military unit is 
exemplified in their work to ensure that no American solider was left 
behind during the war. In late 1944, Allied troops were pushing towards 
Germany, facing some of the fiercest resistance yet, and liberating 
French territory along the way. Looking to take advantage of these 
gains, the men of the 141st Regiment--made up of mostly Texans--moved 
quickly through dense forests and mountains until they unknowingly 
became separated from the rest of their fellow soldiers. Surrounded by 
Germans, with both temperatures and supplies running low, and special 
orders from Hitler himself not to let these troops escape no matter the 
cost, the situation was desperate.
  And so, to save these men, we turned to the one division we knew had 
what it would take to push through: the 442nd Regimental Combat Team--a 
segregated unit consisting entirely of Japanese American troops. For 
six days, this unit fought with almost no rest until they pierced the 
German lines. When one of the trapped Texans finally saw who was coming 
to their rescue he said, ``To our great pleasure it was members of the 
442nd Combat Team. We were overjoyed to see these people for we knew 
them as the best fighting men in [the European theater].''
  One of the men from the 442nd who was there that day, Ted Ohira, says 
that was no accident. Because of the prejudice of the time and the 
assumption that Japanese Americans could not be trusted, Ohira says 
these Japanese American soldiers were subjected to some of the roughest 
basic training. But he was proud of what he went through, saying it 
meant they were able to take more, endure more, and go further than 
anyone. They called this their ``Go For Broke'' mentality, which is 
exactly what they did in risking everything to rescue the 221 men of 
the famous ``Lost Battalion.''
  And yet, even as men like Ted Ohira were risking and losing their 
lives for our country, their families back home were facing 
unbelievable discrimination. In fact, while Ted Ohira was in Europe, 
his future wife Chiz and her family were being forced onto a bus just 
down the street from their Los Angeles grocery store and driven to a 
prison camp in Arizona. Chiz and her family were just some of the over 
120,000 Japanese Americans to be wrongfully imprisoned at this time due 
to President Roosevelt's shameful Executive Order 9066.
  But for these ``Go For Broke'' Japanese Americans, their patriotism 
was more important than somebody else's prejudice. And in 2011, the 
U.S. Congress awarded these Japanese American Nisei veterans with the 
Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor that Congress can 
bestow. And yet, too many still do not know about their incredible 
service to our nation.
  That is why, in 2016, I led a letter along with the late 
Congressmember Mark Takai, signed by 33 Members of the House and 
Senate, urging the U.S. Postal Service to preserve and share this 
inspiring story through a commemorative stamp. This was not only to 
recognize and honor the service and sacrifice of some of our most 
heroic soldiers. It was also to inspire others through their example of 
courage, loyalty, and undying patriotism. And I'm so glad that we now 
have a ``Go For Broke'' Forever Stamp to honor the thousands of 
Japanese Americans who signed up to defend freedoms they themselves 
could not enjoy.
  This stamp was so important to me because it sent a powerful message 
that even when our government is not living up to our values, there are 
millions of Americans from all backgrounds who will risk their lives 
for those values. And I am proud that I am not alone. Starting in 2005, 
people like Chiz Ohira and the Nisei movement have been tireless in 
their work to make sure more Americans understand the service of the 
Japanese American soldiers in World War II.
  I'm grateful for their years of hard work in helping make this stamp 
a reality, and I'm so proud that future generations will continue to be 
inspired by this patriotic service.

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