LIHU‘E — On Veterans Day, when the whole country will be celebrating those who bravely fought to defend the United States, a small museum in Lihu‘e will be carrying an exhibit of one of the most condecorated U.S. regimental combat teams that has ever fought in any war.
The Kaua‘i Veterans Museum opened an exhibition on Nov. 1 celebrating the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which was so instrumental in liberating Europe in World War II that it received nearly 17,000 medals.
Besides the bravery, what made the regiment unique is that it was entirely comprised of Japanese-Americans soldiers, many of whom had parents incarcerated in internment camps in the U.S.
History books often say that the nisei — sons of Japanese immigrants — fought two wars: one in Europe against the enemy, and another at home against discrimination.
KVM Executive Director Larry Schlang revealed a part of history that most people on Kaua‘i apparently had no idea: The Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center in Wailua was an internment camp for Japanese immigrants during WWII. Not even the current KCCC warden knew that, Schlang said.
German and Italian immigrants, whose countries of origin fought against the Allied and the U.S. during WWII, did not suffer the same fate and discrimination that the Japanese did, Schlang said.
The regimental combat team included nisei from Hawai‘i and the Mainland. The relationship between the nisei who grew up an ocean apart was so sour that officials at one point considered disbanding the whole unit.
Mainlanders reportedly looked down at the Hawaiians, who spoke pidgin, and did not approve how the nisei from the Mainland treated them.
Fights broke out often. Hawaiians were called buddhaheads (from buta-head, meaning pig head) by the Mainlanders, who in turn were called katonks (the sound of a coconut hitting the ground) by the Hawaiians.
It was only after the 442nd colonel took the Hawaiian nisei to a trip through Japanese internment camps on the Mainland did peace finally settle in among the two distinct nisei groups. The Hawaiian nisei saw how badly the families of the Mainland nisei were being treated in those camps, and only then did the two factions understand each other.
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team became widely known for their motto, “Go for broke,” which means giving it your all in pidgin.
Today, one of those nisei from Hawai‘i is third in line in the U.S. succession to be president. U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawai‘i, has the longest record of serving in the Senate.
Inouye’s accomplishments as a senator, however, do not overshadow what he achieved during the war.
In an incredible story, Inouye was largely responsible to take over an Italian hill from German soldiers. He ended up badly wounding his right arm in the battle, and had to have it amputated at a field hospital without proper anesthesia, because any more morphine could’ve killed him.
Back in Hawai‘i, despite the considerable amount of condecorations, the nisei couldn’t even open a bank account, because of the discrimination against them, Schlang said.
So the nisei got together and opened the Central Pacific Bank, still in operation today. Schlang said Inouye was also involved in opening the bank.
Several oversized panels tell a detailed story of the nisei and their role in WWII. The museum is located at the Kaua‘i Veterans Center on Kapule Highway in Lihu‘e.
Despite being there for the last 10 years, many people don’t know the museum exists, Schlang said. He hopes to teach the children about the nisei and their bravery in WWII.
The exhibition will run until Nov. 30. Admission is free.
