‘Go for Broke’ Postage Stamp Honors Japanese American WWII Soldiers
The US Postal Service is recognizing the contributions of Japanese American soldiers who served during World War II with a new Forever stamp. Photo courtesy of USPS.
The US Postal Service issued a new Forever stamp honoring the Japanese American soldiers who served during World War II.
“Go for Broke,” the motto of the all-Japanese American 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, is emblazoned on the side of the new commemorative stamp. It bears the image of unit member Shiroku “Whitey” Yamamoto in uniform, based on a 1944 photograph.
“As a military veteran, I have the greatest appreciation for the more than 33,000 nisei, or second-generation Japanese Americans, that served our nation during World War II,” USPS board of governors member Donald L. Moak said in a press release. “With this stamp, the Postal Service recognizes the contributions that Japanese American soldiers made while serving in the U.S. Army during World War II.”
Second-generation Japanese Americans, also known as nisei, served as translators, interpreters, and interrogators. After the atomic bomb ended the war, teams including Japanese Americans parachuted into Japanese prison camps to investigate conditions and stop guards from harming Allied prisoners of war.
Around 33,000 nisei served in the US Army during WWII, even as their family and friends remained in internment camps following the Pearl Harbor attacks.
The grassroots campaign to make the stamp a reality started in 2005, spearheaded by Fusa Takahashi, Aiko O. King, and Chiz Ohira, three women incarcerated in internment camps during the war. Takahashi and Ohira, who has since passed away, were also widows of Go for Broke veterans.
What began as letters to the Postal Service and president grew to circulating petitions, states passing resolutions in support, and endorsements from lawmakers. In 2009, postal officials responded that stamps were not allowed to honor individual military units, according to the Stamp Our Story campaign.
This past November, the USPS altered course and announced a stamp would highlight the contributions of these Japanese American soldiers. The Go for Broke stamp was dedicated during a virtual ceremony Thursday. It is now being sold at post offices nationwide and online.
Read Next: A Star on the CIA’s Memorial Wall: Chiyoki ‘Chick’ Ikeda
Hannah Ray Lambert is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die who previously covered everything from murder trials to high school trap shooting teams. She spent several months getting tear gassed during the 2020-2021 civil unrest in Portland, Oregon. When she’s not working, Hannah enjoys hiking, reading, and talking about authors and books on her podcast Between Lewis and Lovecraft.
Biden will award the Medal of Honor to a Vietnam War Army helicopter pilot who risked his life to save a reconnaissance team from almost certain death.
Ever wonder how much Jack Mandaville would f*ck sh*t up if he went back in time? The American Revolution didn't even see him coming.
A nearly 200-year-old West Point time capsule that at first appeared to yield little more than dust contains hidden treasure, the US Military Academy said.
Since the 1920s, a low-tech tabletop replica of an aircraft carrier’s flight deck has been an essential tool in coordinating air operations.
For nearly as long as the Army-Navy football rivalry, the academies’ hoofed mascots have stared each other down from the sidelines. Here are their stories.
Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel the weapon was produced by Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industries but gave no other details.
Ambushes make for great action scenes. Here are seven of the best to ever grace the big screen.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the launch occurred Wednesday but gave no further details, such as how far the missile flew.
