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As the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT) celebrates its 75th anniversary, many people will tell you that their story began on Dec. 7, 1941, the day that Pearl Harbor was bombed by the empire of Japan.

But in reality, the story of all of the nisei soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd RCT, Military Intelligence Service (MIS) and the 1399th Engineering Battalion started with the Japanese immigrants who first came to Hawaii 150 years ago. They were known as the “gannenmono,” or “the people of the first year.” Also known as issei (first generation), they would be followed by other waves of Japanese immigrants to Hawaii.

Not only did they offer the sweat of their labor, but they also brought with them the human values engrained in their hearts and minds. The issei lived their lives with “gaman” (quiet endurance), “giri” (sense of duty), “gisei” (sacrifice) and “ganbari” (perseverance). This was how they were raised in Japan, and this is how they would raise their “nisei” (second generation) children in Hawaii.

With the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the nisei wanted to prove their loyalty to the country of their birth, the United States of America. As loyal Americans, they were willing to serve their country in whatever way they were needed. The values their parents taught would serve them well.

On Jan. 28, 1943, the War Department announced it was forming an all-nisei combat team, and it called for 1,500 volunteers from Hawaii. An overwhelming 10,000 men volunteered, of whom 2,686 were selected. They joined with the 1,182 Japanese-American recruits who volunteered from the continental United States, many from behind barbed wire of internment camps.

The 442nd RCT was activated on Feb. 1, 1943. The soldiers trained at Camp Shelby, Miss., until April 22, 1944, the day they left for Italy. They saw their first day in combat in June 1944.

By this date, the 100th Infantry Battalion had already been in the Mediterranean theater for more than nine months and had been involved in many significant battles, including the Battle of Monte Cassino.

The units merged in June of 1944, with the 100th becoming the 1st Battalion of the 442nd. They formed a single regiment and went on to create a single proud history. Together, they became the most decorated unit of its size and length of service in the history of the United States Army. They were awarded 18,143 individual citations, including 21 Medals of Honor awarded by Congress. They fought in eight major campaigns in Europe, earning eight Distinguished Unit Citations. They were honored with the title of “Honorary Texans” for their bravery and sacrifice in what is widely known as “The Rescue of the Lost Battalion.”

While their loyalty to the United States was being questioned, these brave men of the 100th Battalion and 442nd RCT and their fellow soldiers of the MIS in the Pacific theater and 1399th at home in Hawaii proved that they were truly loyal and proud Americans. The values of “sekinin” (responsibility), “hokori” (pride), “meiyo” (honor) and “gisei” (sacrifice) and the “Go For Broke” attitude made them great soldiers and, later, great citizens of Hawaii and throughout the U.S.

Today, the sansei (third generation) and yonsei (fourth generation) remember the sacrifices of our ancestors. The Maui’s Sons and Daughters of the Nisei Veterans and the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center (NVMC) work together to perpetuate the story of their fathers’ sacrifices to make this a better world for our generations and for generations to come. We truly believe in “okage sama de” — “because of you, I am.”

A recent recipient of the 2018 Mayor’s Small Business “Outstanding Non-Profit Business” award, the NVMC has lived by its mission statement: “The Nisei Veterans Memorial Center ignites human potential by inspiring people to find the hero in themselves through the legacy of the Nisei Veterans.”

Together, the Sons and Daughters and the NVMC congratulate the 442nd RCT on this, their 75th Anniversary!

Please learn more about the nisei soldiers by visiting the Education Center at the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center, off Kahului Beach Road. The newest exhibit, “Loyalty, Courage, Sacrifice: The Story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team,” runs through Aug. 24. Also coming soon is the Maui premiere of the film “Go For Broke — A 442 Origins Story.” For more information, contact the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center at 808-244-6862.

* Leonard Oka is president of Maui’s Sons and Daughters of the Nisei Veterans and has been designated as board member emeritus of the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center. Oka is the son of Clarence “Hekka” Oka — 442nd RCT, Company “L.”

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