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of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and 100th Infantry Battalion The men of the
442nd
Regimental Combat Team
(RCT) and 100th
Infantry Battalion are
considered to be the bravest and most dedicated soldiers in
U.S. history. Hundreds of them never made it back home, but
thåeir valiant
efforts and heroic deeds live on. For those that were
fortunate enough (but no less brave) to live through the
many bloody battles, most of them overcame their injuries
and emotion-scarring experiences to become responsible,
productive citizens. The accounts that follow are of
individuals that exemplify the character of one of the most
decorated military units in American history. Private First Class
(PFC) William K. Nakamura distinguished himself by
showing extraordinary heroism in July 1944 near
Castellina, Italy. During a fierce fire fight, PFC
Nakamura's platoon
became pinned down by enemy machine gunfire. On his
own, PFC Nakamura crawled toward the hostile nest
with machine gunfire barely missing him. When he
was within 15 yards of the enemy, he quickly rose
to a kneeling position and threw four grenades.
This killed or wounded at least three of the enemy
soldiers and silenced the machine gun. His platoon
was then able to advance its position. In another
incident, his platoon was pinned down by enemy
gunfire during a withdrawal maneuver. On April 5th, 1945 in
a heated battle near Seravezza, Italy, Private
First Class Sadao S. Munemori of the 100th Infantry
Battalion exhibited extreme bravery above and
beyond the call of duty. When his unit was pinned
down by grazing fire from the enemy's attacks, he
made one-man attacks through dangerous fire and
knocked out two machine guns with grenades. Heavy
enemy fire then forced him to withdraw. He had
nearly reached the shell crater occupied by two of
his men, when an unexploded grenade bounced off his
helmet and rolled toward his helpless comrades. He
quickly arose and dived for the grenade and
smothered the blast with his body. Second Lieutenant
Daniel K. Inouye is yet another example of the
brave and devoted men of the 442nd Regimental
Combat Team. It was April 1945 near the town of San
Terenzo, Italy. Lt. Inouye was leading his platoon
when they were suddenly fired upon by die-hard
Italian Fascists fighting for the Germans. As he
was taking out a hand grenade, he was hit in the
stomach by a bullet that came out through his back.
He tossed a grenade and eliminated the nearest of
three enemy positions. His men were still pinned
down by enemy fire but he continued up the hill
alone and destroyed the second enemy position with
grenades. He then staggered toward the third enemy
position. Just as he prepared to throw another
grenade, an enemy rifle grenade shattered his right
arm. In three separate
incidents in October 1944, Private Barney F. Hajiro
proved his loyalty to America and devotion to duty.
While on security duty near Bruyeres, he exposed
himself to enemy fire and killed or wounded two
snipers with his machine gun. On another occasion
while on outpost duty near Belmont, he and one
comrade ambushed an 18-man, heavily armed enemy
patrol, killing two, wounding one, and taking the
remainder as prisoners. In a third incident near
Biffontaine (Eastern France), enemy machine guns
killed eight and wounded twenty-one of his
comrades. Without hesitation, he went ahead of his
platoon and single-handedly destroyed two machine
gun nests and killed two enemy snipers. He was then
hit in the side and the arm by machine gun fire but
managed to survive his injuries. As a result of his
heroic actions, the attack was successful and he
was later awarded the Medal of Honor. Masayuki 'Spark' M.
Matsunaga is another fine example of a
Japanese-American dedicated to serving his country.
As a member of the 100th Infantry Battalion, he was
wounded twice in the same night while moving
through a minefield. After recuperating, he could
not go back to combat but received two Purple
Hearts and the Bronze Star for his heroic acts, and
was assigned to a replacement battalion. Later in
the war, he returned to the U.S. where he made 800
speeches to help Japanese-Americans fit back into
American life after being released from detention
camps. There are countless other incidents that speak of the incredible valor that the members of the 442nd RCT and 100th Infantry Battalion are famous for. From 1943 to 1945, almost 1500 men from these two units lost their lives. Another 9500 were injured. All of them risked their lives to fight for a country that questioned their loyalty. It is sad that all of this had to happen before people finally realized their mistake. . . let us hope that their heroic efforts have taught us all a lesson. William Kenzo Nakamura: Munemori, Sadao:
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