Glossary

A remedy or compensation for a wrongdoing. In Japanese American history, redress refers specifically to the compensation for the unjust incarceration of Japanese Americans and immigrants of Japanese ancestry during World War II.

A large military unit that can work independently or semi-independently on operations and is normally led by a Colonel. During World War II, a US Army infantry regiment was the primary infantry organizational unit. Identified by number, based on Army Classification System: Regular army regiments number 1-99, National Guard regiments numbered 100-299, Conscripted or Reserve regiments numbered in 300s. The regiment holds its own history and lineage.   In 1957 the traditional regimental system was replaced by the Combat Arms Regimental System (or CARS, which used divisions, brigades and battalions as the primary units) and then in 1981 by the US Army Regimental System (USARS).

A euphemistic term used by the War Relocation Authority to refer to the places at which about 120,000 people of Japanese descent were forcibly detained during World War II. These were facilities often surrounded by barbed wire fences and patrolled by armed guards. Inhabitants could not leave without permission. Used interchangeably with “incarceration centers” and “incarceration camps.” See also internment camps and concentration camps.

The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC) is awarded to units of the US Armed Forces and allied nations for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy occurring on or after December 7, 1941. According to the Department of Defense, the unit “must display such gallantry, determination, and esprit de corps in accomplishing its mission as to set it apart from and above other units participating in the same campaign. The degree of heroism required is the same as that which would warrant award of a Distinguished Service Cross to an individual.”   Prior to 1957, the PUC was known as the Distinguished Unit Citation.

The act of settling in a new or different location. The term was used to refer to the return of immigrants and Americans of Japanese Ancestry to mainstream society after the closing of the incarceration centers during and after World War II.