On the recordSeptember 23, 2010
I rise to urge my colleagues to support S. 1055, which honors the thousands of Japanese-American veterans who served during World War II. At a time when many of their fellow Americans questioned their loyalty to the United States, these Japanese-American soldiers enlisted and put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms overseas while fighting against fear and discrimination at home. S. 1055 awards the Congressional Gold Medal to the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and the Military Intelligence Service in honor of their military service. Many of the soldiers comprising these units were Nisei, the American-born sons of Japanese immigrants. In spite of these acts of loyalty and courage, the U.S. Army discharged all Nisei in the ROTC unit, changed their draft status to ineligible, and segregated all Japanese Americans in the military on the mainland out of their units.
