The most highly decorated combat regiment in the US Armed Forces, comprising 21 Medal Of Honor recipients.
1) Initially declared non-draftable
2) Many of their parents were interned in 'relocation camps'.
3) Suffered a casualty rate of 314 percent, informally derived from 9,486 Purple Hearts divided by some 3,000 original in-theater personnel.
So, why the strange facts to lead off the above list ? These men were Nisei, Japanese Americans born in the U.S. Although they were permitted to volunteer to fight, Americans of Japanese ancestry were generally forbidden to fight in combat in the Pacific Theater. No such limitations were placed on Americans of German or Italian ancestry who fought against the Axis Powers in the European Theater.
Read the Wiki for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/442nd_I...ited_States%29
1) Initially declared non-draftable
2) Many of their parents were interned in 'relocation camps'.
3) Suffered a casualty rate of 314 percent, informally derived from 9,486 Purple Hearts divided by some 3,000 original in-theater personnel.
So, why the strange facts to lead off the above list ? These men were Nisei, Japanese Americans born in the U.S. Although they were permitted to volunteer to fight, Americans of Japanese ancestry were generally forbidden to fight in combat in the Pacific Theater. No such limitations were placed on Americans of German or Italian ancestry who fought against the Axis Powers in the European Theater.
Read the Wiki for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/442nd_I...ited_States%29
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