Honoring Japanese American WWII Veterans

This latest award is one of many already granted to a highly decorated group of Japanese-American soliders from WWII.

By Hatty Lee Oct 06, 2010

In what the White House called an "awe-inspiring chapter in American history," on Wednesday President Obama awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to several Japanese American World War II veterans. The award was given collectively to the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Both were segregated units comprised of mostly Japanese Americans, many of whom had family members in internment camps in the U.S. This latest award is one of many already granted to both groups of soldiers, including 4,000 Purple Hearts.

A veteran from the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team units from World War II.
*(Photo: Creative Commons/StatueLibrtyNPS)*
442nd Regimental First Sergeant Thomas S. Harimoto back home in Hawaii.
*(Photo: Creative Commons/U.S. Army)*
Veterans of the 442nd Combat Regimental Team: Barney Hajiro, Shizuya Hayashi and Ed Ichiyama.
*(Photo: Creative Commons/U.S. Armed Forces)*
100th Infantry Battalion training.
*(Photo: Creative Commons/U.S. Army)*