"A date that will live in infamy..."
Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
For those who fought in, lived during, and are impacted by WWII and its aftermath, this is indeed a signficant event in History. Until 9/11, this was the day where the most US citizens were killed on US Soil by foreign entities.
I was not going to post here, but upon refection, this is indeed a day to REMEMBER.
I have recently finished reading the book "Facing the Mountain" by Daniel J. Brown about the internment in "relocation camps" of Japanese- Americans, MOSTLY Citizens of the USA and the story of the 442nd Regiment, one of the most decorated units in all of the American military service units in WWII.
https://www.danieljamesbrown.com/facing-the-mountain-3/
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service during the entire history of the U.S. military. The 4,000 men, who initially came in April 1943, had to be replaced nearly 3.5 times. In total, about 14,000 men served, ultimately earning 9,486 Purple Hearts, 21 Medals of Honor and an unprecedented eight Presidential Unit Citations.
The motto of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was "go for broke." It is a gambling term that means risking everything on one great effort to win big. The Soldiers of the 442nd needed to win big. They were Nisei — American-born sons of Japanese immigrants. They fought two wars: the Germans in Europe and the prejudice in America.
https://www.army.mil/article/283793/key ... ombat_team
One of the many key members of the 442nd was Daniel Inouye:
Daniel Inouye (born September 7, 1924, Honolulu, Hawaii [U.S.]—died December 17, 2012, Bethesda, Maryland) was an American Democratic politician who was the first U.S. representative of Hawaii (1959–63) and who later served as a U.S. senator (1963–2012). He was the first Japanese American to serve in both bodies of Congress.
Inouye was born to working-class parents of Japanese ancestry. His father had moved to Hawaii as a child, and his mother was born there. Following the attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Inouye, who was a Red Cross medical aide, assisted in caring for victims of the raid. Intending to become a surgeon, he enrolled in the premedical program at the University of Hawaii. However, he left in March 1943 to join the 442nd Regimental Combat Team of the U.S. Army, a unit composed solely of Nisei (second-generation Japanese Americans), and he eventually attained the rank of second lieutenant. Inouye was seriously wounded in Italy in 1945, and his injuries necessitated the amputation of his right arm. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and several other honours as well as a promotion to captain.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Daniel-Inouye