Training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi
The 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) transferred from Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, on January 6, 1943. Before leaving Camp McCoy, the soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion held a farewell lūʻau for the friends they had made in Sparta and La Crosse, sharing Hawaiian food and music.
Although the men were pleased to leave the harsh Wisconsin winter for the warmer climate of the South, they soon discovered that local attitudes toward the Americans of Japanese ancestry (AJA) and other people of color were far from welcoming.
Lieutenant Colonel Farrant L. Turner quickly sought to prohibit officers at Camp Shelby from using the racial slur “Jap.” Soldiers of the 100th also made sure that other enlisted men at Camp Shelby “got the message” that racial slurs would not be tolerated. Already resentful of the wartime influx of troops into the region, many members of the surrounding community were inhospitable, and at times outwardly antagonistic, toward the Nisei soldiers.
It was there, in Mississippi, that many of the men encountered legalized racial segregation for the first time in their lives. Jim Crow laws requiring separate lines and facilities for white and Black civilians and soldiers — including seating on buses and in theaters, as well as segregated water fountains and restrooms — were strictly enforced. This created a dilemma for the AJA soldiers, who found themselves caught within the South’s rigid racial system and uncertain whether they would be treated as “white” or “colored.” After several incidents in which some soldiers challenged local segregation practices, the men were advised to avoid confrontation by following local customs, which generally classified them as white.
At Camp Shelby, the 100th Infantry Battalion (Sep) was attached to the 85th Infantry Division, under the direction of Major General Wade Haislip, for advanced training. General Lesley McNair, chief of Army Ground Forces and director of war games in Memphis, Tennessee, took an interest in the 100th and issued orders for extensive training in rifle squad tactics and leadership. Although known for being notoriously tough and difficult to please, Haislip praised the 100th for its strong performance during field exercises, which included advanced maneuvers and field formations.
In a Puka Puka Parade newsletter article, Company D veteran Saburo Nishime wrote one of the few accounts of the battalion’s time at Camp Shelby: Memories: From Camp Shelby to Italy
Advanced Training at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana
In April 1943, the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) was sent to Camp Claiborne in Louisiana for extensive field maneuvers and intensive weapons firing practice. There, the men put nearly ten months of mainland training as a battalion into practice while completing demanding war games, combat exercises and tough maneuvers under rugged field conditions.
In addition to tactical training, the soldiers learned to contend with venomous snakes, chiggers, ticks, rivers, and harsh terrain as they carried out their assignments. Through their performance during these maneuvers, the 100th demonstrated that it was fully prepared and qualified for combat service.
The battalion’s training was observed by General Lesley McNair, who then determined that the 100th would be deploying overseas in as little as two or three months.
When the maneuvers ended on June 16, the 100th returned to Camp Shelby.
Arrival of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team
Meanwhile, a new unit of Japanese American soldiers had arrived at Camp Shelby — the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT).
The outstanding training record of the 100th Infantry Battalion, together with the loyalty and dedication demonstrated by the Varsity Victory Volunteers, played a major role in persuading the Army to authorize the recruitment of additional Americans of Japanese ancestry for military service. In January 1943, the War Department announced plans to organize an all-volunteer Japanese American combat unit. In Hawaiʻi, the Varsity Victory Volunteers — made up largely of former University of Hawaiʻi ROTC students — requested that their unit be deactivated so that its members could enlist in the new unit.
On February 1, 1943, following President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s announcement authorizing the formation of a Japanese American combat unit, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was activated by the War Department. The unit was to be composed of volunteers from both Hawaiʻi and the continental United States.
When the Army issued its call for volunteers of Japanese ancestry, it initially sought 1,500 men from Hawaiʻi and 3,000 from the mainland. Recruitment from the mainland, particularly from the incarceration camps, proved disappointing, reflecting the impact that mass removal and incarceration had on the enthusiasm of many Japanese Americans on the West Coast to join the U.S. Army and fight for the United States.
Approximately 1,200 volunteers came forward from the mainland, while the response in Hawaiʻi was overwhelming, with nearly 10,000 men willing to volunteer. Many in Hawaiʻi had followed the experiences of the approximately 1,300 men of the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) and hoped to join them in military service. As a result, the War Department revised its original quotas. Ultimately, approximately 2,686 men from Hawaiʻi and about 1,500 from the mainland were selected and inducted for service in the initial organization of the 442nd RCT in spring 1943.
On March 28, 1943, the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce sponsored a large farewell ceremony at ʻIolani Palace attended by more than 15,000 spectators for the first 2,686 Hawaiʻi volunteers of the 442nd RCT. This was a stark contrast to the quiet and secretive departure of the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), then known as the Hawaiian Provisional Infantry Battalion, who had left the islands on June 5, 1942, without public ceremony and under orders not to inform their families.
The Hawaiʻi volunteers of the 442nd RCT departed for Camp Shelby on April 4, 1943. They joined mainland inductees there, and the regiment began basic training in May 1943.
When the 100th Infantry Battalion returned in June 1943 after completing advanced training in Louisiana, it encountered the newly arrived 442nd at Camp Shelby, where the regiment was already engaged in its initial training. The men of the 100th were anxious to meet friends, relatives, and members of the 442nd. Word had reached them during maneuvers that the 442nd had been organized in March and would soon arrive at Shelby. For several days, soldiers from both units gathered in the evenings, talking about home and earlier experiences, while the more experienced men of the 100th informally advised the newer soldiers on the demands of Army life.
Deployment Preparation
While the War Department deliberated on the unit’s future, the 100th Infantry Battalion had undergone 14 months of training across four major assignments: Schofield Barracks in Hawaiʻi, Camp McCoy in Wisconsin, Camp Shelby in Mississippi, and field maneuvers at Camp Claiborne in Louisiana. Throughout this period, the battalion was closely observed and regularly evaluated by Army leadership. The 100th consistently exceeded all expectations in all phases of its training, passing its tests with flying colors.
In the book “Remembrances,” published on the 50th anniversary of the 100th’s formation, Sakae Takahashi, one of the original Nisei officers, recalled that after the war games at Camp Claiborne, “the men of the 100th … were ruggedly conditioned and had become skillful in the use of weapons. Their morale was high, and they were well disciplined. Camaraderie was strong, and their relationships among themselves and with officers … were well established. In sum, the 100th was ready for combat.”
Finally, after training and serving in Hawaiʻi, followed by nearly 14 months of additional training on the mainland, the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) received orders for deployment.
While still at Camp McCoy, the battalion first submitted its request for “Remember Pearl Harbor” as its unit motto, along with Hawaiian-inspired symbolism for its coat of arms, including the ʻape leaf and a feathered Hawaiian chieftain’s helmet. The ʻape leaf was traditionally associated in Hawaiʻi with warding off evil when placed near entrances. These proposals were forwarded through official channels.
However, officials in Washington initially resisted any reference to Pearl Harbor in the motto of the ethnically Japanese soldiers. Battalion commander Lt. Col. Farrant Turner received a memorandum dated December 7, 1942, from the War Department’s Office of the Quartermaster General, Heraldic Section in Washington, D.C., outlining a proposed coat of arms and motto for the 100th. The design featured a blue shield with an inflamed bayonet between two annulets. The accompanying explanation noted that the blue represented the Infantry, while the battalion’s functions were symbolized by “the ancient weapon of that arm, inflamed for courage and zeal.” The annulets derived from medieval tournament imagery, and the unit’s numerical designation was represented by the sword (1) and two annulets (00). Also proposed was the motto “Be of good courage,” described as an “admonition to the personnel to retain their courage under all circumstances.”
Turner argued that the motto and coat of arms for the unit — composed almost entirely of former members of the 298th and 299th Infantry Regiments and largely born in the Hawaiian Islands — should better reflect its Hawaiʻi origins. He noted that nearly all members were in service at the time of the December 7 attack and that the 100th was especially deserving of the motto “Remember Pearl Harbor.” He referenced the coats of arms of the 298th and 299th Infantry Regiments as examples of Hawaiian-themed symbolism, incorporating motifs such as the taro leaf and the Hawaiian warrior’s helmet.
A revised design was transmitted in a memorandum dated January 7, 1943, from the War Department’s Heraldic Section, noting that “the blue is for the Infantry. The taro leaf and the helmet are identified with Hawaiʻi and conform to the desired symbolism as requested. The motto: ‘Remember Pearl Harbor’ is being reserved for the exclusive use of the organization.”
Revisions proceeded through additional exchanges, and the coat of arms was formally approved on February 3, 1943, with subsequent correspondence finalizing its blazon and documentation.
At a review held on July 20, 1943, the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) received its battalion colors, which included its coat of arms, the motto “Remember Pearl Harbor,” and the unit designation, “One-Hundredth Infantry Battalion.” The coat of arms featured a Hawaiian chieftain’s helmet symbolizing strength and an ʻape leaf symbolizing protection. The motto “Remember Pearl Harbor,” requested by the battalion, was issued with the colors.
Colonel Turner constantly fought for the dignity and pride of his men. During the final month at Camp Shelby, he was informed that Army leadership was considering issuing distinctive identification tags for his soldiers. He protested the proposal, and his men continued to wear the same standard identification tags as other American soldiers. He was also asked whether he would vouch for the loyalty of all his men or prefer to leave behind a small number whom Army intelligence (G-2) still viewed with uncertainty; Turner replied that he would take them all.
Personnel Changes and Deployment
By August 1943, significant changes had occurred in the battalion’s personnel since its departure from Hawaiʻi in June 1942. Approximately 80 soldiers had been transferred to the Military Intelligence Service, others were reassigned, and a few were not cleared for duty on medical grounds.
Additional personnel had been integrated into the unit, including mainland draftees and volunteers, as well as a small number of men who had volunteered for the 442nd RCT.
One notable addition to the battalion was then-2nd Lt. Young Oak Kim, a Korean American officer from Los Angeles, who arrived at Camp Shelby in February 1943 after commissioning through Officer Candidate School. Initially, Lt. Col. Turner offered Kim a transfer due to tensions between Korea and Japan, but Kim refused, stating:
“They’re Americans, I’m American, and we’re going to fight for America.”
Kim quickly earned respect within the battalion and became a highly regarded officer.
The 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) Camp Shelby by train on August 11, 1943, for Camp Kilmer in New Jersey. The battalion received its embarkation orders at midnight on August 20, 1943, and was then transported by train, again with shades drawn, to Brooklyn, New York.
From there, the 100th headed to Staten Island, New York, and boarded the “S.S. James Parker,” a troopship which had recently been converted from a banana cargo freighter.
The Statue of Liberty would be their last view of America as they began their 12-day voyage to Oran, Algeria in North Africa, on August 21, 1943.
One month later, the 100th Infantry Battalion would land on the shores of Salerno, Italy.