Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 124.djvu/2663

 124 STAT. 2637 PUBLIC LAW 111–254—OCT. 5, 2010 Public Law 111–254 111th Congress An Act To grant the congressional gold medal, collectively, to the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, United States Army, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. FINDINGS. Congress makes the following findings: (1) On January 19, 1942, 6 weeks after the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Navy, the United States Army discharged all Japanese-Americans in the Reserve Officers Training Corps and changed their draft status to ‘‘4C’’—the status of ‘‘enemy alien’’ which is ineligible for the draft. (2) On January 23, 1942, Japanese-Americans in the mili- tary on the mainland were segregated out of their units. (3) Further, on May 3, 1942, General John L. DeWitt issued Civilian Exclusion Order No. 346, ordering all people of Japanese ancestry, whether citizens or noncitizens, to report to assembly centers, where they would live until being moved to permanent relocation centers. (4) On June 5, 1942, 1,432 predominantly Nisei (second generation Americans of Japanese ancestry) members of the Hawaii Provisional Infantry Battalion were shipped from the Hawaiian Islands to Oakland, CA, where the 100th Infantry Battalion was activated on June 12, 1942, and then shipped to train at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. (5) The excellent training record of the 100th Infantry Battalion and petitions from prominent civilian and military personnel helped convince President Roosevelt and the War Department to reopen military service to Nisei volunteers who were incorporated into the 442nd Regimental Combat Team after it was activated in February of 1943. (6) In that same month, the 100th Infantry Battalion was transferred to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, where it continued to train, and even though the battalion was ready to deploy shortly thereafter, the battalion was refused by General Eisen- hower, due to concerns over the loyalty and patriotism of the Nisei. (7) The 442nd Regimental Combat Team later trained with the 100th Infantry Battalion at Camp Shelby in May of 1943. (8) Eventually, the 100th Infantry Battalion was deployed to the Mediterranean and entered combat in Italy on September 26, 1943. 31 USC 5111 note. Oct. 5, 2010 [S. 1055]