100th Infantry Battalion Veterans - Club 100

Club 100 is an Honor Circle ($25K) sponsor of the “I Am An American: The Nisei Soldier Experience” traveling exhibit coming to Hawai‘i later this year.

As announced by National Veterans Network, Capitol Modern (Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts) will host the exhibit for a 4-month period beginning on November 7, 2026.

We are excited to welcome the exhibit to Honolulu and encourage attendance at the Capitol Modern to honor the legacy of the American soldiers of Japanese ancestry and this important chapter of American history.

For more information, please visit: https://nvnvets.org/nisei-soldier-traveling-exhibit/

#第100歩兵大隊 National Museum of the United States Army Army Historical Foundation

Mahalo to everyone who attended the two sold-out performances of “Voices to Courage: Hawaiʻi's One Puka Puka Heroes” at Mānoa Valley Theatre on July 11 and 12. Your support of these remarkable young performers and their dedication to sharing the story of the 100th Infantry Battalion helps ensure that the legacy of our veterans continues to inspire future generations.

For more on this amazing production and the talented students who brought the story of the One Puka Puka to life, please see our website: https://www.100thibv.org/post/voices-to-courage

#第100歩兵大隊 Manoa Valley Theatre

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📷: The young talents behind “Voices to Courage: Hawaii’s One Puka Puka Heroes” – (from left) Maggie, David, Kazuya, Jack, Kaileah and Myles. (Photo courtesy of Mariko Miho)

Club 100 is proud to partner with the Manoa Valley Theatre in an opportunity for students to learn about the 100th Infantry Battalion and share their feelings via artistic expression. It warms our hearts to know students see the value in learning about these Hawaiʻi heroes and question why they did not learn about them in school. Club 100 is working with the Hawaii Department of Education to share the important lessons of strong character and high performance thinking for all public high school students.

Mahalo to Rob Duvall of Manoa Valley Theatre and organizer leads: Mariko Miho, Alan Suemori and Karleen Chinen. Please buy a ticket and bring tissues. It is so heartwarming to see youth truly absorbing what the pioneer 100th Infantry Battalion soldiers from Hawaii — the "One Puka Puka," the "Purple Heart Battalion," and the first Nisei "boots on the ground" in combat in Europe — did for them to have a life with equal opportunity and freedom.

Mahalo to KHON2 News for this article on the production: https://www.khon2.com/sandys-suggestions/voices-courage-hawaii-heroes-100th-infantry-battalion/

For tickets or more information, please visit: https://www.manoavalleytheatre.com/

#第100歩兵大隊

Students bring personal insights to play honoring Hawaiʻi's 100th Infantry Battalion heroes Eight Oʻahu students have created an original play, Voices to Courage: Hawaiʻi’s One Puka Puka Heroes, to explore the legacy of the 100th Infantry Battalion through the memories shared by des…

Happy 4th of July in the 250th year of America's independence.

Club 100 is proud to share the legacy of Hawaiʻi-born, 100th Infantry Battalion through the letters written by World War II soldiers on the battlefield to their first commander, Lieutenant Colonel Farrant Turner. The 100th, followed by the 442nd RCT, overcame obstacles of discrimination to become one of the most decorated in U.S. military history.

The State of Hawaiʻi has announced that copies of the Turner letters and photos memorializing Hawaiʻi’s role in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., are its contributions to the America250 commemoration.

We hope they will demonstrate that Americans come in all colors — and that those colors blend beautifully when we look into the soul, and not the facade.

For more about this contribution, please visit: https://ags.hawaii.gov/blog/main/hawai%ca%bbi-state-archives-donates-two-significant-collections-to-america250/

#第100歩兵大隊 Hawaii Department of Accounting and General Services Hawaiʻi State Archives

Hawaiʻi State Archives Donates Two Significant Collections To America250 HONOLULU — The Hawaiʻi State Archives, a division of the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS), makes two contributions to America250, the nationwide initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026. The Archives gave a copy of the Turner Letters, a rare ...

Club 100 has partnered with Manoa Valley Theatre on Voices to Courage: Hawaiʻi’s One Puka Puka Heroes, a summer youth theater program that explores the history and legacy of the 100th Infantry Battalion through oral histories, storytelling, and performance.

The program will culminate in public performances at Mānoa Valley Theatre on Saturday, July 11 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 12 at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $10. Seating is limited. For tickets or more information, please visit their website: https://www. manoavalleytheatre.com/voices-to-courage

#第100歩兵大隊

A fond Aloha and welcome to Rear Admiral (RADM) Yukiyasu Sawai and the crew of the Japan Coast Guard Academy training vessel Itsukushima.

Superintendent Sawai was very interested in the legacy of the pioneer WWII unit composed of Americans of Japanese ancestry. President Kathi Hayashi of the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans - Club 100 and RADM Sawai exchanged challenge coins and committed to continue to strengthen the goodwill between Japan and the USA.

#第100歩兵大隊

Thinking of the men of the 100th Infantry Battalion and remembering their quiet departure from Hawaiʻi 84 years ago today.

There were no parades, no bands, and no public sendoff. Under orders to keep their departure secret, many did not tell their parents, spouses, siblings, or children that they were leaving. They boarded a ship bound for an uncertain future, not knowing when — or if — they would return. Some would never have the chance to see their loved ones again.

On June 12, 1942, they would be designated the 100th Infantry Battalion. Through courage, sacrifice, teamwork, and perseverance, they forged a legacy that would become one of the most extraordinary in American military history.

Today, we remember those who served, those who returned, and those who never came home. We also remember the families they left behind, who endured the uncertainty and sacrifice alongside them.

With gratitude and respect, we honor the service and legacy of the 100th Infantry Battalion.

"Remember Pearl Harbor" 🇺🇸💜🌺

Following the “Selective Training and Service Act of 1940” being signed into law in the United States in September 1940, the Hawaii National Guard units of the 298th and 299th Infantry Regiments were activated and federalized under the U.S. Army command on October 15, 1940. Most men who were inducted were drafted, but several men had volunteered to serve. About half of the men inducted in Hawaii were of Japanese ancestry. During the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, men of the Hawaii National Guard were on duty, and protecting the shorelines.

On January 5, 1942, the War Department reclassified Japanese Americans as “IV-C, enemy aliens,” and no longer able to enlist in the American armed forces. However, the AJA men who were already serving continued to carry out their orders to protect the people of Hawaii.

As a battle at Midway Island appeared likely, it was feared that Hawaii would become Japan's next target. On May 28, 1942, AJA men from the 298th and 299th Infantries, engineer battalions, activated reservists, and regular Army, were gathered at Schofield Barracks and placed into a newly formed “Hawaiian Provisional Infantry Battalion.” With the exception of a few Caucasian officers and about 20 men of Hawaiian and other Asian ethnicities (including those who were of mixed ethnicities), it was the first "all-AJA" military unit. This new battalion was to leave Hawaii on the first available transport. The men were told that they were being sent somewhere on the mainland to train, and were ordered to keep the information secret from their families.

On June 5, 1942, these 1,432 officers and enlisted men boarded an old converted U.S. Army transport ship called the "Maui," and quietly departed Honolulu in much secrecy, during a time of uneasiness as the Battle of Midway was underway. There was no announcement of their departure in the newspapers or on the radio.

The boat docked in Oakland, California, on June 12, 1942. There, the unit was redesignated the “100th Infantry Battalion (Separate).” It was an “orphan battalion,” not assigned to any larger army unit. Under this name, the men of the 100th underwent extensive military training in Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Louisiana from June 1942 until August 1943, as the government and military officials observed their performance while determining what to do with these AJA soldiers. Ultimately, their outstanding training record served as a key factor in the formation of a new all-volunteer AJA army unit, known as the “442nd Regimental Combat Team.”

Although June 12, 1942 is when the unit was officially redesignated as the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), the June 5, 1942 departure date held a special significance to the men of the 100th, throughout their lives. It was from this day that their shared experiences as the first unit of AJA soldiers from Hawaii formed under such unique circumstances, would form unbreakable bonds between them, keeping them connected for life.

This year marks the 80th Anniversary of the 100th Infantry Battalion.

Read more on the start of the 100th Infantry Battalion (Sep) here. https://www.100thbattalion.org/history/battalion-history/war-is-declared/



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1940年09月に「1940年の選抜訓練徴兵法 (Selective Training and Service Act of 1940)」が成立されたことにつれ、ハワイ国防軍 (Hawaii National Guard)として徴兵された日系アメリカ人兵士達は1941年12月7日の真珠湾攻撃の時も防衛の任務に励んでいました。

1942年01月05日にアメリカ人日系二世も含め、全ての日系人は「敵性外国人」と見なされることになっても、ハワイ国防軍、アメリカ陸軍などにすでに所属されていた日系兵士達はしっかりとハワイの人々を守るための任務に就き続けました。この日系兵士達を中心に、白人の将校なども含む1432名が、1942年05月28日に米陸軍駐屯地である「スコフィールドバラックス (Schofield Barracks)」で集合させられ、「ハワイ臨時歩兵大隊 (Hawaiian Provisional Infantry Battalion)」に編成されました。

ミッドウェイ海戦が迫る中、日本軍の次の侵攻先はハワイになるのではないかと恐れていました。日系米兵は日本兵と見分けが難しいとされ、米軍が出した対策は、日系米兵士を集めてアメリカ本土へ送ることでした。

そして、1942年06月05日。目的地も知らされずにいたハワイ臨時歩兵大隊は家族に出航のことも話せないまま、新聞紙やラジオ等での報道もないまま、「マウイ号」の軍用船に乗せられ、静かにアメリカ本土へと出発しました。

1942年06月12日にカリフォルニア州オークランドに入港し、「第100歩兵大隊 (独立)」と、所属連隊がない独立大隊として正式に設立されました。彼らはその後、1943年8月まで、ウィスコンシン州、ミシシッピー州、ルイジアナ州で様々な厳しい訓練に励み、驚異的な成績を残しました。いずれ、アメリカが日系志願兵からなる「第442連隊戦闘団 (442nd Regimental Combat Team)」を結成することに決心できたのも、それまで積み重ねてきた「100大隊」の必死の努力がその大きな理由となったに違いありません。

第100歩兵大隊が編成されたのは1942年6月12日。だが、1942年06月05日も「100大隊」の方々にとってはとても大事な日であります。人生が大きく変わった日。言葉にならない経験を共味わい、過酷な試練を乗り越えながら、同じ道のりを一緒に歩む仲間達と強い絆を結び始めた日。第100大隊の方々やその家族達にとって、どっちも一生忘れることのできない日となりました。

今年、第100歩兵大隊は編成80周年を迎えます。

This Memorial Day, we honored the legacy of the Hawaiʻi-born 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team at the sponsors’ screening of “The 100TH, Seeds of Aloha” at Moanalua High School Performing Arts Center.

Presented by Steve Sue’s nonprofit ID8, the documentary shares the inspiring story of the Americans of Japanese ancestry from Hawaiʻi who became one of the most highly decorated units in U.S. military history. The film focuses on healing, empathy, and high-performance attitudes and values, while encouraging people to “give back” and make the world a better place.

Mahalo to all the sponsors, musicians, cast, crew, and community members who made this unforgettable event possible, and to 100th Battalion veteran Dr. Takashi Manago and family, for attending the screening.

Read more about this event on our website: https://www.100thibv.org/post/100th-film-sponsors-screening-and-concert

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"The 100TH, Seeds of Aloha" Film Sponsors' Screening and Fundraising Concert Celebrate Legacy of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd RCT Memorial Day Weekend 2026 sponsors’ screening of “The 100TH, Seeds of Aloha” film and fundraising concert honored the legacy of Hawaiʻi’s 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team through film, music, and community support.

Thank you to Yoshin Ogata and his wife Yoshiko for this magnificent sculpture honoring the sacrifices of the Nisei soldiers, who fought tyranny in Italy and France. The sculpture is placed in the city of Tendola, Italy, near where Senator Daniel K. Inouye lost his arm in combat. Last year, representatives from Club 100 attended a ceremony naming a piazza after the Senator, which is included in the Memorial Day first screening of Steve Sue’s documentary, “The 100TH, Seeds of Aloha.”

Thank you to Nisei Legacy Tours for this post on the sculpture.

https://nisei-legacy-tours.com/2026/05/20/new-nisei-memorial-in-tendola/

#第100歩兵大隊

New Nisei Memorial in Tendola - Nisei Legacy Tours A New Nisei Memorial added to La Pretta Park in Tendola. Yoshin Ogata sculpture offers remembrance through art