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WAR VETS REACH ACROSS 65 YEARS TO REMEMBER ANNIVERSARY
(Los Angeles, CA - February 1, 2008) - Iraq veteran Major Keith Horikawa and World War II veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team had never met before Feb. 1, yet the bond between them was as strong as if they'd known each other their entire lives.
Horikawa is second in command of the 100th Battalion/442nd Infantry, a unit established 65 years ago during World War II. He is visiting Los Angeles to help commemorate the formation of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a predominantly Japanese American unit that fought two wars-the Nazis in Europe and racial prejudice at home.
Although Horikawa happens to be of Japanese ancestry, his kinship to the Nisei veterans most of today's 100th/442nd is made up of Pacific Islandera. The 100th/442nd is under the command of the 29th Separate Infantry Brigade (SIB), the principal unit in the Hawaii Army National Guard (HIARNG). nd to segregate Japanese American soldiers because of After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, about 5,000 officers and enlisted men of Japanese ancestry were summarily discharged from the U.S. military. Determined to prove their loyalty, the men appealed to Lt. Gen. Delos C. Emmons to let them serve in any capacity. Emmons relented and agreed to allow the men to serve in non-combat support roles. Six months later, on May 26, 1942, Nisei officers and enlisted men from the Hawaiian National Guard 298th and 299th Infantry Regiments were withdrawn to form the Hawaiian Provisional Battalion.
The 1,300 Nisei of the Hawaiian Provisional unit were designated the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) and by mid-June 1942 were headed for the Mainland to commence six months of basic training. The battalion's motto: "Remember Pearl Harbor"
The 100th quickly gained a reputation as a courageous combat unit and was sent into fierce battle, becoming known as the "Purple Heart Battalion." Army commanders called for more men like those of the 100th and on Feb. 1, 1943, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was established. The 442nd went on to become the most decorated unit in U.S. military history for its size and length of service.
Today, the 100th Battalion/442nd Infantry has served in Iraq is preparing for its second deployment in a few weeks. The unit is under command of the 29th Separate Infantry Brigade (SIB), the principal unit in the Hawaii Army National Guard.
According to BG Joseph Chavez, Commanding 29th Brigade, the Soldiers of the 100th/442nd know well the record of their predecessors in eight major campaigns of World War II. Before deploying to Iraq, the men requested that instead of wearing the 29th Brigade's patch, they be allowed to wear "Torch of Liberty" patch on their uniforms in honor of the Nisei WWII veterans. Gen. Peter Schoomaker, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, agreed to allow the Battalion to wear the historic insignia during its first mobilization and deployment in Iraq.
