In 1951 the movie Go For Broke! (directed by Robert Pirosh, produced by Dore Schary and stared Van Johnson, Robert Nakamura and several veterans of the 442nd Infrantry Regiment) was released to the American audience. The film is a dramatization of the real-life story of the 442nd infantry unit which was a unit that predominantly consisted of Nisei, second generation Japanese Americans, who were fighting primarily in the European theatre of World War II.
The film focuses on the experience of Van Johnson’s character, Lieutenant Michael Grayson, who has recently been assigned to the 442nd when he was expecting to the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas National Guard. Initially, Johnson is angered by the fact that he is leading a battalion full of Nisei soldiers because of his narrow mindedness about the war in which he joined to fight Japanese soldiers, not to fight with them, and in effect he led his battalion with very harsh and strict adherence to regulations. Eventually, Grayson discovers the meaning behind the battalion’s catch phrase, “Go For Broke!” which is a pidgin phrase that means to gamble everything. In the end, Johnson’s character gains respect for the Nisei soldiers that he is fighting alongside because of their attitudes and their willingness to fight for their country and they eventually discover that he has defended them against bigotry by members of his former infantry unit.
The unit itself is one of
the most decorated units for its size and the length at which the regiment was in service in the United States Army. However, it also holds the distinction as one of the units with the highest rate of casualties. Below is a list of distinctions that was awarded to the unit:
· 21 Medals of Honor (the first awarded posthumously to Private First Class Sadao Munemori, Company A, 100th Battalion, for action near Seravezza, Italy, on April 5, 1945; the others upgraded from other awards in June 2000).
· 52 Distinguished Service Crosses (including 19 Distinguished Service Crosses which were upgraded to Medals of Honor in June 2000)
· 1 Distinguished Service Medal
· 560 Silver Stars (plus 28 Oak Leaf Clusters for a second award)
· 22 Legion of Merit Medals
· 15 Soldier’s Medals
· 4,000 Bronze Stars (plus 1,200 Oak Leaf Clusters for a second award; one Bronze Star was upgraded to a Medal of Honor in June 2000. One Bronze Star was upgraded to a Silver Star in September 2009.)
· 9,486 Purple Hearts
The importances of the unit as well as the film revolves around the question of how does one determine who is American and who is not? Is it based on skin color or is it based on the heart behind each person? The unit goes to show that just because a group of people don’t quite look like they’re Americans that doesn’t make them any less American nor do they represent a less patriotic American.
No comments:
Post a Comment