On the recordSeptember 23, 2010
In a room of 20-by-20, you had seven people living with no running water and with no hot water for 4 months, and they were trying to deal with babies and diapers and with all the things that go on in ordinary living. Then the people who have put you there turn around and say, We will accept you into our Army to go and fight for us in Italy. Now, you can imagine among these Japanese families the discussions that went on about whether or not they should participate in this. David's grandfather came from Japan and started the Japanese Baptist Church in Seattle. He told his sons, We are Americans, and we will support our country no matter what. This was long before the war, so he was dead when that happened. They were then taken off to the camps. The mother--her name was Misa Sukura--had four sons. She said to her boys, You must go. The camp people were mad at her. How can you send all of your sons to this? She said, They are Americans. We are proud and we will serve. Now, you have to understand what it took then to be thrown into the toughest part of the war. They didn't become the most decorated unit in United States Army history because they were sent out to some easy deal. They were sent into the toughest fighting in Italy. They are the ones who went in when they couldn't find the lost battalion. They said, Send in the 442nd--and they found them.
