Senate Passes Schiff/Boxer Bill to Pay Tribute to Award "Go for Broke" Regiments with Congressional Gold Medal
Washington, DC– Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) applauded the Senate passage of S.1055, companion legislation to a bill he introduced in the House to pay tribute to the U.S. Army 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, commonly known as the “Go For Broke” regiments, as well as the Military Intelligence Service, comprised of Japanese-American soldiers who fought in Europe, and the Asia-Pacific theatre during WWII.
The legislation, which passed the Senate last night, will have to be approved once more by the House before going to the President to be signed into law. It awards these brave soldiers the Congressional Gold Medal for their dedicated service to our nation. The Congressional Gold Medal is Congress’s highest civilian honor and requires two-thirds of the House and the Senate to cosponsor the legislation before it can be voted on. The legislation, H.R. 347, originated in the House and passed last year with nearly 300 cosponsors.
“After the bombing of Pearl Harbor incited doubts about the loyalty of Japanese-Americans, these brave men who enlisted to fight to protect our Nation were faced with segregated training conditions, families and friends relocated to internment camps, and repeated questions about their combat abilities,” Rep. Schiff said. “Man for man they were the most highly decorated combat units of the war -- I can't imagine a group more deserving on Congress highest honor.”
“On behalf of all our veterans, I want to thank Congressman Adam Schiff for his help, and for being such a loyal and faithful supporter,” said Gary Yamauchi, a member of the Board of Directors for the Go For Broke National Education Center. “I know that our veterans are going to be extremely delighted, and in their own quiet way, we are very, very proud.”
The Go For Broke regiments earned several awards for their distinctive service in combat, including: 7 Presidential Unit Citations, 21 Medals of Honor, 29 Distinguished Service Crosses, 560 Silver Stars, 22 Legion of Merit Medals, 15 Soldier’s Medals, 4,000 Bronze Stars and over 4,000 Purple Hearts, among numerous additional distinctions. For their size and length of service, the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team were the most decorated U.S. military units of the war. However, these regiments have yet to be honored with a Congressional Gold Medal.