The 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT), organized in March 1943, is recognized with the 100th Infantry Battalion, as the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of the U.S. military. We are grateful for the outpouring of community support in advocating for the accurate representation of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd RCT, Military Intelligence Service (MIS), and other units with the respect and honor they deserve.
Formation of the 100th Infantry Battalion (1942). The 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) was activated on June 12, 1942, and primarily composed of Americans of Japanese ancestry (AJA) — enlisted men who had been drafted from as early as December 1940, and were serving in Hawaii National Guard units under US Army command. Following the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the loyalty of AJAs was questioned, leading the War Department to reclassify Japanese Americans as “IV-C, enemy aliens” in January 1942, and no longer able to enlist in the American armed forces. Despite this, AJA men already in the service continued their duties to protect the people of Hawai‘i and guard against the enemy. On May 28, 1942, AJA soldiers of the 298th and 299th Infantry Regiments of the Hawai‘i National Guard, regular Army, and activated reservists in Hawai‘i, were extracted from their multi-ethnic units and gathered at Schofield Barracks to form the first segregated Japanese American unit, later named "100th Infantry Battalion (Separate)."
Following 14 months of mainland training, the 100th Infantry Battalion (Sep), attached to the 34th Infantry Division, entered combat in Italy in September 1943 with just over 1,300 men. Depleted by tremendous casualties due to deaths and injuries sustained in its first 5 months in combat, the 100th was reduced to 460 effective men by the end of February 1944, earning it the nickname of "The Purple Heart Battalion."
Formation of the 442nd Infantry Regiment (1943). On February 1, 1943, President Franklin Roosevelt authorized the activation of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a second segregated US Army unit of AJA men. The outstanding training record of the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) from Hawaiʻi, the first segregated AJA unit, activated in June 1942, played a key role in the formation of the 442nd. Another main factor was the service of AJAs in the Hawaiʻi Territorial Guard and Military Intelligence Service, as well as the contributions of the Varsity Victory Volunteers in Hawaiʻi, whose members would later volunteer to join the 442nd.
In response to the War Department's call for volunteers, about two-thirds of the roughly 4,000 men who formed the 442nd RCT in March 1943 were from Hawaiʻi. The remainder came from the continental United States, many of whom were volunteers from incarceration camps.
The 442nd trained at Camp Shelby, Mississippi with three infantry battalions, the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion (522nd FAB), Cannon Co., Anti-Tank Co., Regimental HQ Co., Service Co., Medical Detachment, 232nd Combat Engineers, and the 206th Army Band.
100th/442nd (1944): Due to the heavy casualties suffered by the 100th Infantry Battalion by February 1944 significantly reducing its effective strength, in response, replacement soldiers from the 442nd training in Mississippi were sent to bolster the battalion. The first group of replacements arrived to join the 100th in Italy, in March 1944. With newly arrived replacement soldiers, the 100th Infantry Battalion (Sep) fought in Anzio, helped liberate Rome, and earned the 100th its first of three Presidential Unit Citations for actions at Belvedere, Italy.
![Soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion, with replacement soldiers from the 442nd Infantry Regiment, marching up to the front towards Lanuvio, Italy (May 28, 1944). [Photo courtesy of: United States Army Signal Corps]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ddc888_5afc1cdaf0114243ada3c3da7105e8e7~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_112,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_avif,quality_auto/ddc888_5afc1cdaf0114243ada3c3da7105e8e7~mv2.jpg)
With the growing need for trained AJA soldiers to replenish the two segregated AJA units — the 100th fighting in Italy and the 442nd training at Camp Shelby, in January 1944, the War Department announced the reinstitution of general selective service procedures for American citizens of Japanese descent. AJAs considered eligible for military service were no longer classified as IV-C “enemy alien,” and called for induction if physically qualified and not deferred.
From September 1943 until June 26, 1944, the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) earned 16 Distinguished Service Crosses (DSCs). Nine months after the 100th Infantry Battalion began fighting in Italy, the 442nd entered combat near Civitavecchia on June 26, 1944, attached to the 34th Infantry Division. The 100th Infantry Battalion (Sep) was attached to the 442nd Infantry Regiment. Over the next two months the newly arrived 442nd earned eight DSCs while the 100th earned three more.
On August 10, 1944, the 100th was officially redesignated as the "100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry." It served as the 1st Battalion of the 442nd Infantry Regiment, but was allowed to retain its numeral “100th” designation due to its outstanding record in training and combat. The 100th/442nd played a critical role in the liberation of Bruyères and Biffontaine in France, and in rescuing the “Lost Battalion” of Texas, suffering heavy losses while proving their valor. The reorganized 442nd RCT earned an additional 21 DSCs until the end of the war. In the year 2000, 19 of the 48 DSCs awarded to men who served in the 100th/442nd along with one Silver Star were upgraded to the Medal of Honor.
In total, about 10,000 men served in the combined 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd RCT, ultimately earning over 4,000 Purple Hearts, 21 Medals of Honor, and an unprecedented seven Presidential Unit Citations.
The statistics highlighted in the above chart demonstrate the extraordinary bravery and sacrifices of these primarily Japanese American units. The 100th Infantry Battalion represented 31% of the 100th/442nd effective strength. However, despite making up a smaller portion of the total force, the 100th bore significant casualties, with 47% of those who died in the 100th/442nd coming from the battalion, and its men earning 43% of the Purple Hearts awarded to men in the combined units. A notable share of Medals of Honor (38%) and Silver Stars (40%), along with the majority of Distinguished Service Crosses (59%), were awarded to men of the 100th, highlighting their exceptional combat record and significant contributions to the 442nd RCT’s commendations.
The 100th was the Hawai‘i-born, vanguard unit that proved beyond doubt that the Japanese American soldiers could be trusted in combat. The unit was the War Department's test to determine if AJA soldiers could be trusted in combat, and their exceptional bravery, combined with the contributions of the 442nd RCT and MIS, shifted both the War Department's and the American public's perception of Japanese Americans.
▶︎ Our focus and mission is:
To perpetuate the legacy of the 100th Infantry Battalion by remembering what they achieved in battle and how they accomplished their goals;
To honor those that were killed in action or died in service, and those that have since passed; and
To honor the 100th's desire to give back to the community, which we do via our public service and via student participants in our annual 100th IBV Legacy2Action education initiative.
▶︎ Learn more and help to perpetuate the legacy of the 100th/442nd:
100th Infantry Battalion Education Center (www.100thbattalion.org) Our digital education center with a vast compendium of historical knowledge including individual soldier stories, speeches, memoirs, letters, Puka Puka Parade newsletter articles, photos and descriptions of battle experiences.
100th Infantry Battalion Veterans (Club 100) official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/100thIBV/)
100th Infantry Battalion Veterans (Club 100) website (www.100thibv.org) with resources on the 100th and updates on our organization initiatives.
Puka Puka Parade newsletter (https://www.100thibv.org/post/puka-puka-parade-marches-on-eighty-years-later), with 80 volumes filled with photos and articles that capture the voices and stories straight from our 100th Infantry Battalion veterans. Over time, it has also been enriched by contributions from their wives/widows, descendants, and families.
Thank you to everyone who is doing their part in learning and helping us to perpetuate the stories of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team.