100th/442nd facts
- The 100th Infantry Battalion was the first all-Japanese American combat unit.
In 1943, while the 442nd was being formed, the 100th Infantry already was waging war in Italy. The 100th merged into the 442nd in 1944.
The 100th Infantry suffered so many injuries and deaths it was known as the "Purple Heart Battalion."
The 442nd’s "Go For Broke!," pidgin motto for "shoot the works," mirrored their reputation for being the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in U.S. military history.
Sadao Munemori was the only soldier of the 100th/442nd Combat Team to receive a Medal of Honor for a life-sacrificing act during World War II.
The 100th and 442nd fought in eight major campaigns in Italy, France and Germany.
The 442nd sustained more than 800 casualties to save 211 Texans of the "Lost Battalion" in the Vosges Mountains.
Members of the 100th and 442nd, as of today, have received:
Medal of Honor 23
Distinguished Service Cross 52
Silver Star 560
Silver Star with Oak Leaf Clusters 28
Presidential Unit Citation 7
Major Campaign Streamer 7
Distinguished Service Medal 1
Legion of Merit Medal 22
Soldier’s Medal 15
Bronze Star 4,000
Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Clusters 1,200
Purple Heart 9,486
French Croix de Guerre 12
French Croix de Guerre with two Palms 2
Italian Cross for Military Valor 2
Italian Medal for Military Valor 2
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