442nd RCT
| 442nd Infantry Regiment 442nd Regimental Combat Team |
|
|---|---|
|
|
| Active | 1944–1946 1947–1969 |
| Country |
 United States
|
| Branch |
 United States Army
|
| Type | Separate regiment later 100th Infantry Battalion |
| Role | Infantry |
| Size | 3,800, regimental combat team |
| Motto(s) | "Go For Broke" |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Colonel Virgil R. Miller |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive unit insignia |
 |
| Combat service identification badge |
 |
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team is an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the Army Reserve. The regiment was a fighting unit composed almost entirely of American soldiers of Japanese ancestry (mostly from Hawaii) who fought in World War II. Most of the families of mainland Japanese Americans were confined to internment camps in the United States interior. Beginning in 1944, the regiment fought primarily in Europe during World War II, in particular Italy, southern France, and Germany.
The 442nd Regiment was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of American warfare. The 4,000 men who initially made up the unit in April 1943 had to be replaced nearly 2.5 times. In total, about 14,000 men served, earning 9,486 Purple Hearts. The unit was awarded eight Presidential Unit Citations (five earned in one month). Twenty-one of its members were awarded Medals of Honor. Its motto was "Go for Broke".
Most Japanese Americans who fought in World War II were Nisei, born in the United States to immigrant parents. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Japanese-American men were initially categorized as 4C (enemy alien) and therefore not subject to the draft. On 19 February 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing military authorities
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