Uncle Mel volunteered for the U.S. Army as an 18-year-old after graduating from Hilo HS. He and his fellow Hilo recruits got to ride the Queen Mary to San Francisco on their way to training camp in Camp Shelby, Mississippi. But the cattle cars they rode from California to Mississippi were a far cry from the Queen Mary.
He saw fighting in Italy and France, getting injured and hospitalized twice. Uncle Mel lost his best friend and a Hilo HS classmate during the fighting. From what I could find, the 442nd suffered a casualty rate of approximately 67%. The 442nd also became the most decorated unit in the history of the U.S. military.
So, this month I think of my uncle and his unit who volunteered to fight in World War 2 to preserve freedom. I'm inspired by their self-sacrifice for the greater good, and hope others are able to find similar inspiration from their Asian-American and Pacific Islander family members.