25279 - 442nd Infantry Regiment, U.S. Infantryman, 1943-45

442nd Infantry Regiment, U.S. Infantryman, 1943-45 

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was the most decorated fighting unit in U.S. military history and it was composed almost entirely of second-generation Japanese-American (Nisei), soldiers. Organized March 1943, they drew their ranks from the young men forcibly interned (with their families) after Executive Order 9066, which declared everyone of Japanese descent a potential security risk. They landed at Anzio in May, 1944 and would be joined with another Nisei unit, the 100th Battalion, later that June. They fought unconditionally and with great sacrifice, throughout Italy and France with one contingent sent to Germany where they helped liberate Nazi concentration camps. The unit earned more than 4,000 Purple Hearts, 4,000 Bronze Stars, seven Presidential Unit Citations (five earned in one month), and eventually 21 Medals of Honor. 

NOTE: You will notice that the patch of the 442 is not on our figure. While researching this heroic unit, we examined numerous photos of the men in the field and noticed that none of the 442 GIs had any identifying patches on the M43 jackets. Out of respect for their deeds and valor, and for the sake of historical accuracy, we have chosen to portray them as they fought, without their iconic unit insignia.