Thesis
President Harry Truman, 1946, National Archives
Over the years, many have asked us — Why? Why were you willing and ready to give up your life? I told my son it was a matter of honor. I told him about my father’s farewell message when I left home to put on the uniform of my country. My father was not a man of eloquence but he said, ‘Whatever you do, do not dishonor the family, and do not dishonor the country.’ To have done any less than we did in battle would have dishonored our families and our country.
-Daniel K. Inouye, former 442nd trooper and US Senator
"You are always thinking of your country before yourselves. You have never complained through your long periods in the line. You have written a brilliant chapter in the history of the fighting men in America. You are always ready to close with the enemy, and you have always defeated him. The 34th Division is proud of you, the Fifth Army is proud of you, and the whole United States is proud of you."
-Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, former commander of the Fifth Army, addressing the 442nd Regimental
"It astounds me how the men are able to stand the physical and mental strain under which they are constantly living. It is almost beyond comprehension that the human being can stand so much." “They [442nd Regimental Combat Team] did more than defend America. They helped define America at its best...Rarely has a nation been so well served by a people it has so ill-treated.” |
"There is one supreme, final test of loyalty for one's native land- readiness and willingness to fight for, and if need be, to die for one's country. These American can pass that test with colors flying. They proved their loyalty and devotion beyond all question....These men....more than earned the right to be called just Americans, not Japanese Americans."
-Major General L. Devers, former leader of the Allied Forces in southern France