Army removes, reposts website documenting Japanese-American WWII soldiers
HONOLULU (KHON2) — A revision of history or a reconfiguration to align with current policies?
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That is the question for the Army after the official military website for the 442nd infantry regiment was taken down and republished on Feb. 15.
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in WWII and composed of Nisei — American-born sons of Japanese immigrants.
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They faced prejudice after Pearl Harbor in 1941 but thousands of those brave souls gave up their livelihoods to fight for the freedom of the nation they lived in.
'They volunteered to fight. They said, 'Yes, a country that's going to denigrate me, I'm still going to fight, because I believe' and I think they were absolutely instrumental,' said former Marine Forces Pacific Chief of Staff Ray L'Heureux.
Despite their sacrifice, the official military website for the 442nd was taken down on March 14 and prompted a letter from Hawaii Rep. Ed Case to the Army secretary.
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'We know darn well that this is an attempt to censor our history, to remove any mention of race or ethnicity from our nation's story. We know that. And if we didn't believe it before this, we know it's happening now,' Case said.
A republished website on the 442nd was made public on March 15 and it makes several references to Japanese-Americans and Nisei soldiers.
'That assignment was handed to somebody. 'Okay, go into all the websites, purge DEI stuff and,' And then somebody picked up on it and went, 'Woah!' You know, and the reaction that ensued after that is justified in my opinion,' L'Heureux said.
The Army released a statement to KHON2 and said they are working tirelessly to align content on their site with current guidance:
Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news
'The 442nd Regimental Combat team holds an honored place in Army History and we are pleased to republish an article that highlights the brave Soldiers who served in the 'Go-for-Broke' brigade.
In accordance with a Presidential Executive Order and guidance from the Secretary of Defense, the Army recently took down the Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders Heritage webpage that featured content about the 442nd Infantry Regiment and Nisei Soldiers. The Army is tirelessly working through content on that site and articles related to the 442nd Infantry Regiment and Nisei Soldiers will be republished to better align with current guidance.
There are still many stories available on Army websites that celebrate the bravery of the 442nd Infantry regiment that were not impacted by the Heritage webpage. The Army remains committed to sharing the stories of our Soldiers, their units, and their sacrifice.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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