Cross-cultural communication （42）　

42）Japanese-American Unit
Do you know that there was an army unit made up of only Japanese-Americans in the United States during World War II? The Pacific War (the war between the United States and Japan during World War II) began with the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the United States, which had suffered its first major attack on its own territory since its founding, was outraged and fell into a state of suspicion, and imprisoned tens of thousands of Japanese-Americans living on the mainland in what were euphemistically called relocation camps, but were in fact concentration camps. Adding insult to injury, the US government also recruited young people living in the internment camps to join the US Army. However, many young Japanese Americans (mostly Nisei, second generation) enlisted in the army, hoping to restore their parents' honor by placing their own lives in the hands of the US government and demonstrating their loyalty to it. In Hawaii, although there was no internment, the army recruitment drive was also implemented here, and many young people enlisted. The US Army's 442nd Infantry Regiment was formed by combining the mainland and Hawaii groups of Japanese American troops.

The soldiers of the 442nd were Japanese Americans, but the officers (commanders) were white Americans. This was probably because the US government did not truly trust Japanese Americans. The training before going into battle was harsh, and the Japanese Americans, who were already physically inferior to white people, had to endure what must have been hell. The 442nd was sent to the European front rather than the Pacific front in order to avoid friendly fire and psychological conflict. The main battlefield was France, which was under German occupation. The 442nd, which showed remarkable activity in several fierce battles, gradually gained the trust of the US Army.

At that time, the Texas Battalion was surrounded by the German army on a mountain peak in the Vosges Mountains in France and was unable to move. Several times, strong units attempted to rescue them, but were blocked by the German machine gun units that had secured the foothills. It was the 442nd that was given the last hope. The motto of the 442nd is “Go for broke”. Although ‘broke’ is grammatically incorrect, it is a form of Hawaiian pidgin English. With this ‘Go for broke’ spirit, they overcame the bodies of their fallen comrades and reached the summit, rescuing the Texas Battalion. When the Japanese-American unit reached the summit, the members of the Texas Battalion were surprised to see soldiers with Japanese faces suddenly appear before them, but they were convinced by their uniforms and the explanations they gave in English, and they embraced the Japanese-American soldiers as little as their kids with tears in their eyes. The number of casualties of the 442nd in this operation far exceeded that of Texas Battalion which was rescued.

I'll explain why I've been interested in the 442nd. During my three years as a resident doctor in Brooklyn from 1980, I had a monthly copy of Bungei Shunju sent to me by the international student services of a certain Japanese pharmaceutical company. At the time, a non-fiction serial story that had been running for about a year was “The Liberators of Brier” by Masayo Douse, which dealt with the 442nd. At the time, I was struggling hard in the Brooklyn hospital, and reading this story made me realize that I shouldn't give up just because I was having a hard time, and I was able to complete my training. Later, by chance, I saw a report on the local TV news about the annual party hosted by the Texas Battalion. At this party, former 442nd soldiers are invited every year, regardless of where they live in the world, with airfare and accommodation paid for. The soldiers of the Texas Battalion felt such a debt of gratitude for the rescue in the Vosges Mountains. After that, even after I returned to Japan, I read and watched books and films about the 442nd frequently.

The 442nd was the most decorated unit in U.S. Army history, and after the war, they were awarded a medal by President Truman in recognition of their service. The most famous former member of the 442nd is the one-armed politician, Senator Daniel Inouye. Speaking of which, in the movie Karate Kid, Daniel's sensei Miyagi was a former member of the 442nd .

In 2003, I was e-mailing with a Japanese doctor who was doing her residency in Hawaii. The doctor and I were both writing monthly blogs on the same sponsor site at the time. One time, I wrote about the 442nd, and the doctor told me that one of his patients at the time was a former 442nd soldier. So, through the resident, I asked the patient some questions about the things I had wanted to know. Unfortunately, for various reasons, I was unable to obtain the information I was looking for, but I was thrilled to have met an actual former 442nd soldier, even if only indirectly.

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