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Medal for Japanese-American WWII soldiers

HONOLULU — Congress passed a measure Thursday that would award a Congressional Gold Medal to Japanese-Americans who volunteered to fight for the U.S. in World War II even as their loyalty to the country was questioned.

The House passed the legislation by voice vote Thursday, one month after the Senate approved it. The measure now goes to President Obama for his signature.

“These men served the nation at a pivotal moment in our history, displaying their heroism and courage on two fronts: abroad in the fight against an absolutist fascism and at home in the face of the intolerance of racial injustice,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the bill’s chief sponsor in the House.

The legislation gives the medal collectively to those who served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service.

About two-thirds of the service members were from Hawaii, with the remainder coming from the mainland.

The veterans served even though they were branded “enemy aliens” and rendered ineligible for the draft. Some, particularly those from the mainland, enlisted while their families were detained in internment camps.

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which absorbed the 100th Infantry Battalion during the war, saw some of the most brutal fighting in the war. The unit suffered some 800 casualties in France rescuing the “Lost Battalion” of the 36th Division.

By the end of the war, it had become the most highly decorated military unit in U.S. history for its size and length of service.

Japanese-American congresswoman Rep. Mazie Hirono, speaking on the House floor, recounted the experiences of three veterans, including Kobe Shoji, father of University of Hawaii women’s volleyball coach Dave Shoji. The elder Shoji was ordered to leave Pomona College to move to a camp in Arizona with his family. He enlisted in the Army the next year and was wounded twice fighting in Europe with the 442nd.

“Their perseverance, humility and strength enabled them to triumph over life’s adversities. We must never forget the Japanese-American men and women ... who nobly served to defend their country at a time when their patriotism was in doubt,” said Hirono, D-Hawaii.

Her Republican colleague from Hawaii, Rep. Charles Djou, said the medal was a sign of well-deserved respect from Congress. The men’s willingness to volunteer to serve despite facing discrimination earned them the honor, he said.

Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., said the experience of the Nisei, or second-generation Japanese-Americans, should be remembered so the U.S. doesn’t treat another group of Americans the same way.

“We’re in a time now when their example needs to be carefully looked at. Because panic in the American public says ‘Oh, those people need to be feared. We can’t stand those people. They’re not like us,’ ” McDermott said. “What happened in 1941 can happen again if we do not honor those Nisei vets and those families who stayed at home.”

Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., drew comparisons with Arab-Americans who are serving in the military and fighting terrorism while being stigmatized and being judged “less American” because of their ethnicity.

The medal would be given to the Smithsonian Institution, which would make it available for research and display it in places associated with the units. The legislation authorizes the Treasury to make bronze duplicates.

The highest civilian honor awarded by Congress has been given selectively since 1776, when George Washington was awarded the first. Other honorees include the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, Rosa Parks and the Dalai Lama. The Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of black fighter pilots, received the medal in 2007.

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