Japanese-American WWII vets awarded special medal

[alp227]

Source: CNN

Nearly seven decades after the attack on Pearl Harbor, thousands of Japanese-American World War II veterans were honored Wednesday at a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony held at the U.S Capitol.

In a rare moment of unity, Democratic and Republican Senators and members of the House of Representatives praised Japanese-American soldiers of the 442nd Regiment Combat Team and the 100th Infantry Battalion and veterans of the Military Intelligence Service for their contribution to the war.

"Aloha and welcome," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, at the start of the invitation-only event inside the Capitol's Emancipation Hall. About 1,000 people witnessed the ceremony in person, including several aging Japanese-American honorees and their families who waited years for this day.

When World War II began, Japanese-Americans were not invited to serve. Two years into the war, the U.S. military created an all-volunteer Japanese-American combat team who soon adopted the slogan "Go for Broke." Most of its roughly 20,000 members were born in the United States to Japanese-born parents. They went on to become one of the most decorated American units in the war, yet when they returned home, many faced discrimination.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/02/us/japanese-american-medals/index.html

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Speaker of the House John Boehner, left, hands the Congressional Gold Medal to a Japanese-American veteran on Wednesday.

[RamboLiberal]

1. K&R

[No Elephants]

2. I am glad someone finally did this, but, somehow,seeing Boehner do it ticks me off.