Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from Indiana. Madam Speaker, I rise to urge my colleagues to support S. 1055, which honors the thousands of Japanese-American veterans who served during World War II, and I thank my colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff), for introducing the legislation in the House and for his eloquent words today in support of the Senate bill. 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. Some served in the University of Hawaii's Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), which aided the wounded, buried the fallen, and helped defend vulnerable areas in Hawaii after the attack on Pearl Harbor. 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. During this time, more than 100,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated from their homes to internment camps.…”