442nd Infantry Regiment by Jesse Russell

The start of each 442nd meeting is especially poignant for Oba, 87, who documented his World War II experience in a book, 'The Men of Company F.' 'After all of the casualties and guys killed in action in Italy and France, we kept getting replacements that amounted to four times the original number.' 'When we first answered the call to volunteer, 2,800 of us went to Camp Shelby to train,' Oba said. Oba will tell Thompson that he has counted 32 survivors from Fox Company still living in Hawaii. Representatives of each of the 442nd’s 22 units will report on their surveys on July 12. 'You want to give it to the guys who are still alive,' said 442nd veteran Ronald Oba. If the bill becomes law, the Hawaii-born men of the 442nd want an accurate roll call of their buddies in the islands to ensure they all get proper recognition. Senate would grant a collective 'Congressional Gold Medal' to members of the 442nd and the 100th Infantry Battalion - in Hawaii and the mainland - for their service during World War II.

The tally of the 442nd veterans surviving in Hawaii is being done in anticipation of formal recognition by Congress.Ĭompanion bills in the U.S. 'I am worried it’s going to be very low,' he said. Thompson said he won’t be surprised if the number of his comrades still alive in the islands turns out to be 600 - or closer to 400. While the roster of the 442nd’s dead continues to grow through this Fourth of July holiday, the survivors are preparing a head count of their dwindling numbers to present at the club’s July 12 meeting. Every monthly meeting of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team Veterans Club begins somberly, with a reading of the names of the recently deceased and a moment of silence to honor the nisei boys from Hawaii who went off to war.Ĭlub President William Thompson each month hands the honor of reciting the names to one of the club’s vice presidents, then sometimes finds himself thinking, 'Too many guys passing away, already.'Īt the age of 86 - hard of hearing and with a bad back and knees - Thompson is one of the younger veterans who made up the 10,000-member, all Japanese-American combat unit that returned to the islands and the mainland as one of the most highly decorated units of its size.

442nd Infantry Regiment by Jesse Russell