Japanese-American Brave Hearts
January 31, 2009 > MAUI TODAY, > Maui Yesterdays No Comments |
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Backward Day
HAWAIIAN WORD OF THE DAY — Manawale’a: Generous Heart PIDGIN WORD OF THE DAY— Klok: Heart HAWAIIAN PROVERB OF THE DAY — “A heart full to the brim.” HAOLE QUOTE OF THE DAY — “In America few people will trust you unless you are irreverent..” - Norman Mailer
January 31st, 1943: More than 100 men from Maui join the group of 1,500 men from all of Hawaii who are forming a combat team traveling to Mississippi to be trained before serving in the European theater – a surprising term for the World War II front fighting Hitler. What makes this team so special? It’s made entire of Japanese Americans.
And these men volunteered for this duty during the year when most – more than 100,000 – Japanese Americans are stripped of their rights, property and dignity, and interned in California concentration camps.Though no exact number of casualties are known for this team, it is estimated that about 1,000 are killed or wounded during the war.
