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Sharon Yamato
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Senate Passes Bill to Honor Japanese American Veterans of World War II 100th, 442nd, MIS would receive Congressional Gold Medal
WASHINGTON, DC (Aug. 3, 2010) – The United States Senate approved S.B. 1055, legislation introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Japanese American soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team and Military Intelligence Service (MIS) on the night of Aug. 2, 2010. The legislation must be approved again by the U.S. House of Representatives before it can be submitted to President Barrack Obama to be signed into law. The House is expected to take that action in September 2010.
The Congressional Gold Medal is Congress' highest civilian honor. Before it can be presented for vote, two-thirds of both the House and Senate are required to sign on as cosponsors. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) initiated the legislation in the House as H.R. 347 and it was passed with approximately 300 cosponsors in May 2009. The National Veterans Network supported Senator Boxer's work in the Senate on behalf of the legislation with a nationwide grassroots campaign to secure the 73 co-sponsors.
Senator Boxer said, "I am so pleased that the Senate is honoring these courageous soldiers with a Congressional Gold Medal for their service to the United States during World War II. These brave Japanese Americans enlisted in the Army and fought for their country even as many of their family members and friends were sent to internment camps. This recognition of their service and patriotism is long overdue."
A tireless champion of this legislation, Rep. Schiff applauded its passage by the Senate. "After the bombing of Pearl Harbor incited doubts about the loyalty of Japanese Americans, these brave men who enlisted to fight to protect our nation were faced with segregated training conditions, families and friends relocated to internment camps and repeated questions about their combat abilities," Rep. Schiff said. "Man for man, they were the most highly decorated combat units of the war. I can't imagine a group more deserving of Congress' highest honor."
Commonly known as the Go For Broke regiments, the 100th/442nd is the most highly decorated unit for its size and length of service in U.S. military history. Among the many awards and distinctions earned through the bravery and sacrifice of soldiers of these units are: 7 Presidential Unit Citations, 21 Medals of Honor, 29 Distinguished Service Crosses, 560 Silver Stars with 28 Oak Leaf Clusters, 22 Legion of Merit Medals, 15 Soldier's Medals, 4,000 Bronze Stars and more than 4,000 Purple Hearts.*
The contributions of the 6,000 Japanese American soldiers who served in the highly classified MIS were not known until passage of the Freedom of Information Act in 1974. Their work proved to be vital to U.S. military successes in the Pacific Theatre, from China to Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima to Leyte, and in occupied Japan. The MIS has been credited with shortening the war in the Pacific and saving countless Allied lives. President Bill Clinton honored the MIS with a Presidential Unit Citation in 2000.
The National Veterans Network is an alliance of 22 World War II veterans' organizations and nonprofits from throughout the United States whose missions are to serve the interests of the Japanese American World War II veterans or to preserve the Japanese American WWII experience. Participating organizations include: 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans Club, Honolulu HI; 100/442 Veterans Association, Los Angeles, CA; 442nd RCT Veterans Club, Honolulu HI; Chicago Nisei Post 1183/American Legion, Chicago, IL; Friends and Family of Nisei Veterans, San Francisco, CA; Go For Broke Association, Honolulu HI; Go For Broke National Education Center, Torrance, CA; Houston JACL, Houston, TX; Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA), Washington DC; Japanese American Veterans of Minnesota, MN; MIS Club of Hawaii, Honolulu HI; MIS Club of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; National JACL, Washington DC; National Japanese American Historical Society, San Francisco, CA; National Japanese American Memorial Foundation, Washington DC; National Japanese American Veterans Council, Washington DC; Nisei Veterans Committee, Seattle WA; Nisei Veterans Coordinating Council, Los Angeles CA; Nisei Veterans Memorial Center, Maui, Kahului, HI; Oregon Nikkei Endowment, Portland OR; Oregon Nisei Veterans, Portland, OR and Pinedale Assembly Center Memorial Project, Fresno CA.
*The numbers of distinctions, honors and medals used in this announcement are those determined right after World War II. This is the count that the government treats as verifiable. It is also the count contained in the Senate record of this Congressional Gold Medal action. GFBNEC's more recent research produced a different count and that information is available on our website at http://www.goforbroke.org/history/history_historical.asp
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