This silent home movie shows the 10th reunion of the famed 442nd Infantry Regiment, which is best known for its history as a fighting unit composed almost entirely of second-generation American soldiers of Japanese ancestry (Nisei) who fought in World War II. Beginning in 1944, the regiment fought primarily in the European Theatre, in particular Italy, southern France, and Germany.
The film, which may have been shot by one of the Regiment’s corpsman Toshi Kuge, begins with shots in the mainland before showing aerial footage of the approach to Honolulu at 1:37. At 2:33, members of the group deplane off a Northwest Airlines plane. At 2:37 are shots of what might be Fort Shafter. At 3:40 a solemn ceremony is held in honor of the unit at a cemetery. At 5:37 are views of Honolulu and Diamond Head. At 7:30 are shots at a luau. At 8:30 stacks of soft drinks are seen on Waikiki Beach and there are shots of the resorts (this footage may have been shot from the swim stadium area). At 10:30 women in grass skirts perform a hula dance. At 12:50 the group visits one of Hawaii’s volcanoes.
The 442nd Regiment is the most decorated unit in U.S. military history. Created as the 442d Regimental Combat Team when it was activated February 1, 1943, the unit quickly grew to its fighting complement of 4,000 men by April 1943. During action in WWII, these 4,000 had to be replaced nearly two times, with a total of about 14,000 men served, earning 9,486 Purple Hearts. The unit was awarded eight Presidential Unit Citations (five earned in one month).Twenty-one of its members were awarded Medals of Honor. In 2010, the Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and associated units who served during WWII,[6] and in 2012, all surviving members were made chevaliers of the French Légion d’Honneur for their actions contributing to the liberation of France and their heroic rescue of the Lost Battalion. The unit’s motto is “Go for Broke”.
Arriving in the European Theatre, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, with its three infantry battalions, one artillery battalion and associated HQ and service companies, was attached to the 34th Infantry Division. On 11 June 1944, near Civitavecchia, Italy, the existing 100th Infantry Battalion, another all-Nisei fighting unit which had already been in combat since September 1943, was transferred from the 133rd Infantry Regiment to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Because of its combat record, the 100th was allowed to keep their original designation, with the 442nd renaming its 1st Infantry Battalion as its 100th Infantry Battalion. The 442nd saw heavy combat during WWII, and was not inactivated until 1946, only to be reactivated as a reserve unit in 1947 and garrisoned at Fort Shafter, Hawaii. The 442nd lives on through the 100th Battalion/442nd Infantry Regiment, which has maintained an alignment with the active 25th Infantry Division since a reorganization in 1972. This alignment has resulted in the 100th/442nd Infantry Regiment’s mobilization for combat duty in the Vietnam War and the Iraq War. With the 100th/442nd Infantry Regiment the only infantry unit in the Army Reserve, the 442nd’s current members carry on the honors and traditions of the historical unit.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
