This year marks 80 years since World War II ended. To me, this is a time to reflect on the horrors of war and remind ourselves to take steps to resolve conflict without violence.
Hawai‘i is in a unique position as the steward of two icons of WWII history. The USS Arizona Memorial, a powerful symbol of America’s entry into the war on Dec. 7, 1941, stands guard over the remains of the vessel sunk by bombs in Pearl Harbor. Visible from that memorial is the USS Battleship Missouri Memorial, where the Japanese signed the Instrument of Surrender, which officially ended World War II on Sept. 2, 1945.
Between those two historic bookends, we all suffered the shame of killing each other, with both sides grieving for lost sons and daughters.
After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, approximately 300,000 Japanese immigrants in the US and Americans of Japanese ancestry (AJA) were considered “enemy aliens,” just because they looked like the enemy.
The 1,432 AJA already in the US Army were segregated into a separate unit—the 100th Infantry Battalion. This small group, less than .5% of the affected population, would prove their fighting ability and loyalty to America, eventually leading to the formation of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Together, they were considered one of the most decorated units in US military history for size and length of service.
An annual memorial service is held at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu to honor the AJA units—those killed in service and those since passed, reminding us to avoid repeating the pain of war by exercising tolerance and conflict resolution. Although the AJA endured discrimination and loss of civil rights, they overcame these obstacles with positive outlook, high-performance thinking and quiet endurance. Postwar, when no bank would serve them, they didn’t give up. They built their own bank, which we know today as Central Pacific Bank.
Although we all face challenges and setbacks, how we react affects the end result. Steve Sue of nonprofit ID8 keeps the AJA WWII legacy and values alive with a movie called, “The 100TH: Seeds of Aloha,” targeted for release in 2026. Steve notes, “…this is more than a war story—it’s an epic tale of service, sacrifice and an enduring legacy of aloha that spans over 80 years.”
100th INFANTRY BATTALION VETERANS
520 Kamoku St. Honolulu, HI 96826
For more information: info@100thbattalion.org | 808-946-0272
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