Licensing

Japanese American Soldiers: Military Intelligence Service and other Military Units

November 1st 1941- Forth Army Intelligence School opens in San Francisco, as a language school for Japanese Americans drafted into the Military Intelligence Service (MIS). About 6,000 people served in the MIS, 85% of them Nisei Japanese Americans. The majority of the Nisei served in the MIS as linguists and in other non-combative roles, interpreting captured enemy documents and interrogating prisoners of war. It is believed by the Chief of Intelligence that the MIS contributions “saved countless lives and shortened the war by two years”.

July 1st 1943- Woman’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs) is replaced by Women’s Army Corps (WACs). Three months later, Japanese American women are allowed to volunteer. Over 300 Japanese American women serve, 47 in the MIS.

Other Japanese American Units iclude:
· 1399th Engineer Construciton Battalion
o Constructed vital defense installations on Oahu, and were awarded the Meritorious Service Award in October 1945.
· 232nd Combat Engineer Company
o Mainly attached to the 442nd, but was a “separate” unit. Was awarded 100 Purple Hearts
· 1800th Engineer General Service Battalion
o special unit for Japanese, Italian, and German American soldiers the government wanted to keep under observation.

This image comes from the online collection of the Japanese American National Museum, please refer to this website for more information:
http://www.janm.org/collections