Asian Americans have been serving honorably in the U.S. military since the beginning of our republic. In honor of July 4th, we are listing here some links on both the contributions and experiences of Asian Americans in the military:
- DefenseLINK News: 22 Asian Americans Inducted Into Hall of Heroes
Medal of Honor presented to 22 WWII Vets; 20 were members of the Japanese American 100th Infantry Battalion or 442nd Regimental Combat Team; One served with the 7th Infantry Division and one with the 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. - World War II: New Roles for Minorities
The 442nd Infantry Regiment; bravery of Second Lt. Daniel K. Inouye From NARA. - 100th Infantry Battalion/442 Regimental Combat Team
Traveling exhibit from Nikkei Heritage Org. - U. S. Army. 442nd Regimental Combat Team
Most decorated military unit in U. S. history. World War II. - The Wounds of War-And Racism
Groundbreaking study now examining Vietnam’s effect on Asian American troops. - Susan Ahn Cuddy
Navy’s first woman gunnery officer. - Colonel Young Oak Kim
First Asian American to command a battalion in combat. - Congressional Medal of Honor. Sadao S. Munemori
Read citation here. - Ellison Onizuka
Mission Specialist; Challenger Crew. - A Most Unlikely Hero
Captain Bruce Yamashita was originally kicked out of the Marine Corps Officer Training School because of racism. - Tammy Duckworth
Asian American disabled Iraq War veteran who ran for congress. - General Eric Shinseki
General; Chief of Staff, U. S. Army. - General Eric Shinseki and the Iraq War
Biography of General Shinseki and his position on the Iraq War - Major General Edward Soriano
Major General U. S. Army; Commanding General, 7th Infantry Division. - “A Few Good Asian Americans”
by Ji Hyun Lin, July 27-August 2, 2001, Asian Week. - Asian/Pacific American Military Timeline
by the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project. - Lt. Ehren Watada
Iraq War Dissenter or Deserter? - Emil Amok: Tony Taguba and the Truth About Abu Ghraib
Courageous 2 Star Asian American general who was let go for investigating the torture at Abu Ghraib.