206th Army Ground Forces Band

Led by Sergeant Jun Yamamoto, the 206th Army Ground Forces Band was an important component of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Although they did not engage in combat, they had a significant role in the war. The band was responsible for bolstering the morale of the members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. In addition to providing entertainment for the troops, its duty was also to maintain the traditions of military ceremonies.

Pfc. Tom Masamori, of Santa Cruz, CA, 442nd RCT, signs "God Bless America," during Salerno Day Ceremony, the day that the Fifth Army became inoperational in the MTO, after two years of operations which ended in victory. Cardone, Italy. September 9, 1945.

The men traveled with the regiment and moved around with other units wherever they were needed. While many other band members in white units served as litter bearers for their regiment, the 206th men did not. Although they were willing to do so, the Colonel disallowed this because each individual was essential to the band, and any losses would not be replaced. They did occasionally serve guard duty, however.¹

Referring to themselves as the “Shelby Hawaiians,” the band provided a lifeline for many of the 442nd soldiers from Hawai’i, putting on song and dance shows with familiar Hawaiian music. The band members played ukulele and steel guitar and performed hula for their audience.2 Although the music recalled “home” for the Nisei from Hawai’i, it was enjoyed by many other units as well.³

206th US Army Band conducted by Master Sgt Jun Yamamoto during the first formal review of the Nisei combat team at Camp Shelby. When not "on stage," the members of the band served as litter bearers and worked the supply trains. Camp Shelby, Mississippi. 1943.

The band performed at variety shows, parades, formations, and church services. It also was present for more somber occasions, providing the music for the memorials of fallen soldiers.

Footnotes

¹Edward Kanaya, Hanashi Oral History, Tape #1, 13:00, Go For Broke National Education Center website, accessed on February 13, 2015, and Tape #2, 16:35,
²Franklin Odo, No Sword to Bury: Japanese Americans in Hawaii (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004), p. 236.
³Dorothy Matsuo, From Boyhood to War: History and Anecdotes of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (Honolulu, HI: Mutual Pub. Co., 1992), pp. 224-225.