Japanese Internment - 442nd Regiment

442nd

Image Source: A More Perfect Union

The mass of the Japanese volunteers were sent to Mississippi where they were placed in Camp Shelby. There was tension between the mainlanders and Hawaiians because they argued about each others behavior and rude aggressive manners. Due to the fighting the commanders were ready to call off the training. Someone suggested to go view the concentration camps, as the Hawaiian Japanese didn’t realized how hard it was for the mainlanders to live. After The Hawaiians saw that the Japanese were fighting for their country,

even with families at home in prison, the Hawaiins gained more respect for them. One Japanese man remembers "the regiment was not formed when we volunteered, nor when we arrived in Camp Shelby, but rather, it was formed after this (relocation camp) visit" (Matsuo, Boyhood to War. 73)

Japanese soldiers still had to gain respect from the white soldiers so they helped recover lost battalions and do many other things. As stated,

“For their performance, the 442nd has been recognized as the most decorated unit in United States history. 18,000 total awards were bestowed upon the 442nd, including 9,500 Purple Hearts, 52 Distinguished Service Crosses, Seven Distinguished Unit Citations, but only one Congressional Medal of Honor (Crost, Honor by Fire. 179).”

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