Today is “Go For Broke” Day.
“Go For Broke” is Hawaiian Pidgin slang that means to wager everything to win big. It was the motto of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, WWII’s segregated unit of all Japanese Americans. The most decorated unit in history. 1/

All were volunteers, from Hawaii or the mainland concentration camps. While the unit fought hard and sustained heavy casualties, their families, most of them American citizens, still lived behind barbed wire. Never charged with any crime, but treated like prisoners. 2/

My grandpa enlisted on behalf of his family, wanting to send a representative to prove they were loyal Americans. He faked his way past the eye exam. Trained at bootcamp where they were viewed with suspicion. Became a medic given insufficient supplies, often not even a sidearm 3/

The 442 liberated towns across France & Italy and won victories on missions deemed impossible for others to take on. They sustained heavy loss with the spirit of “gaman” (Japanese for “enduring with patience and dignity”). They gave their all to help defeat fascism abroad. 4/

When the soldiers returned, they and their families had to rebuild from nothing. Most lost everything, having been forced out of their homes to the camps taking “only what they could carry”. They faced discrimination and debt. But they reclaimed their lives and communities. /5

Today honors their spirit. Despite impossible odds, they gambled everything for a cause they believed in. May we be inspired by their bravery. But may we learn from the tragedy of the past and say NEVER. EVER. AGAIN. Protect the vulnerable. Fight injustice. “Go For Broke.” /End