Japanese Americans in WWII: Going for Broke

The internment of Japanese-American civilians in prison camps during World War II is widely acknowledged as a shameful chapter in U.S. history. Yet, despite the racist incarceration of American citizens, by 1943 the government realized that Japanese-American soldiers could aid military intelligence as well as provide more boots on the ground. Reversing the policy of classing Japanese-Americans as 4C (“enemy aliens”), the military asked for 1,500 volunteers, but ultimately some 10,000 men enlisted from the mainland camps and Hawaii (where there were no internment camps). One such volunteer was Daniel Inouye, now a U.S. Senator from Hawaii, who was part of the Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team, not only the most decorated unit of WWII but throughout American history. More than 40 years after the war, the U.S. government made formal apologies to former internees and Congress awarded 22 previously denied Medals of Honor. Hosted by Inouye, and narrated by George Takei (Star Trek), Japanese Americans in WWII: Going for Broke offers a remarkably concise history of 19th-century Japanese immigration, the “Yellow Peril” discrimination of the early 20th century, a chronicle of events during the two world wars, and a look at the 1999 dedication of the Go For Broke Monument in Los Angeles honoring Japanese-American veterans. Highly recommended. [Note: this is also available in a consumer version called Going for Broke from Questar, priced at $19.99.] Aud: I, J, H, P. (R. Reagan)