The publication is reproduced in full below:
COMMEMORATING THE ``GO FOR BROKE'' FOREVER STAMP
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HON. JUDY CHU
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I rise today to join Congressmember Ed Case and my colleagues in the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus to commemorate the ``Go For Broke'' Forever Stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service earlier this month. This stamp honors the over 30,000 Japanese American soldiers of the 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team who bravely served our country during World War II. Despite facing intense racism and discrimination, these soldiers fought valiantly to defend our nation and went on to become the most highly decorated military unit in U.S. history.
The courage of this all Japanese American military unit is exemplified in their work to ensure that no American solider was left behind during the war. In late 1944, Allied troops were pushing towards Germany, facing some of the fiercest resistance yet, and liberating French territory along the way. Looking to take advantage of these gains, the men of the 141st Regiment--made up of mostly Texans--moved quickly through dense forests and mountains until they unknowingly became separated from the rest of their fellow soldiers. Surrounded by Germans, with both temperatures and supplies running low, and special orders from Hitler himself not to let these troops escape no matter the cost, the situation was desperate.
And so, to save these men, we turned to the one division we knew had what it would take to push through: the 442nd Regimental Combat Team--a segregated unit consisting entirely of Japanese American troops. For six days, this unit fought with almost no rest until they pierced the German lines. When one of the trapped Texans finally saw who was coming to their rescue he said, ``To our great pleasure it was members of the 442nd Combat Team. We were overjoyed to see these people for we knew them as the best fighting men in [the European theater].''
One of the men from the 442nd who was there that day, Ted Ohira, says that was no accident. Because of the prejudice of the time and the assumption that Japanese Americans could not be trusted, Ohira says these Japanese American soldiers were subjected to some of the roughest basic training. But he was proud of what he went through, saying it meant they were able to take more, endure more, and go further than anyone. They called this their ``Go For Broke'' mentality, which is exactly what they did in risking everything to rescue the 221 men of the famous ``Lost Battalion.''
And yet, even as men like Ted Ohira were risking and losing their lives for our country, their families back home were facing unbelievable discrimination. In fact, while Ted Ohira was in Europe, his future wife Chiz and her family were being forced onto a bus just down the street from their Los Angeles grocery store and driven to a prison camp in Arizona. Chiz and her family were just some of the over 120,000 Japanese Americans to be wrongfully imprisoned at this time due to President Roosevelt's shameful Executive Order 9066.
But for these ``Go For Broke'' Japanese Americans, their patriotism was more important than somebody else's prejudice. And in 2011, the U.S. Congress awarded these Japanese American Nisei veterans with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor that Congress can bestow. And yet, too many still do not know about their incredible service to our nation.
That is why, in 2016, I led a letter along with the late Congressmember Mark Takai, signed by 33 Members of the House and Senate, urging the U.S. Postal Service to preserve and share this inspiring story through a commemorative stamp. This was not only to recognize and honor the service and sacrifice of some of our most heroic soldiers. It was also to inspire others through their example of courage, loyalty, and undying patriotism. And I'm so glad that we now have a ``Go For Broke'' Forever Stamp to honor the thousands of Japanese Americans who signed up to defend freedoms they themselves could not enjoy.
This stamp was so important to me because it sent a powerful message that even when our government is not living up to our values, there are millions of Americans from all backgrounds who will risk their lives for those values. And I am proud that I am not alone. Starting in 2005, people like Chiz Ohira and the Nisei movement have been tireless in their work to make sure more Americans understand the service of the Japanese American soldiers in World War II.
I'm grateful for their years of hard work in helping make this stamp a reality, and I'm so proud that future generations will continue to be inspired by this patriotic service.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 105
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