USPS Unveils Stamp Honoring Japanese American WWII Veterans

The U.S. Postal Service has unveiled a new commemorative stamp honoring WWII veterans representing the all-Japanese American 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442 Regimental Combat Team from Kauai.

“The Nisei soldiers of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Infantry Battalion are exemplary role models who displayed perseverance, bravery and aloha. This stamp includes their motto ‘Go for Broke,’ which became the basis for their teamwork and victories on the battlefield,” Democratic state Rep. Nadine K. Nakamura told The Garden Island on Saturday.

The “Go For Broke: Japanese American Soldiers of World War II” stamp honors the second-generation Japanese Americans, or Nisei, who fought during the war and faced discrimination in the U.S.

The stamp features Shiroku “Whitey” Yamamoto from the Big Island, a member of the combat team. It was designed by Antonio Alcala based on a photograph taken in 1944.