“Go For Broke” (1951) was filmed as a tribute to the United State’s 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Infantry Battalion who fought during World War II were formed exclusively of Japanese-American volunteers with President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s exclusive permission. The film narrates the story of the Japanese-American Combat Team and their battle against not only the enemies of the United States, but also the racism within American society. The film draws attention to the racism and prejudice that Japanese-Americans faced even among their peers in the United States’ army. President Roosevelt wrote in the letter of approval, “The proposal of the War Department to organize a combat team consisting of loyal American citizens of Japanese decent has my full approval. The principle on which this country was founded and by which it has always been governed is that Americanism is a matter of the mind and heart; Americanism is not, and never was, a matter of race or ancestry.”
The term “Go for Broke,” also the movie’s title, is Pidgin English for “shoot the works,” meaning to risk it all for the chance to win big. This became the slogan for the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team as these Japanese American soldiers adopted this “all or nothing” attitude due to being assigned to the front lines and taking on seemingly suicidal missions. Many of the men had families still in internment camps, and some even lost family members overseas and in Hawaii over the war. Despite all of that, they were still willing to volunteer to fight for the country that was also acting out against them.
“Go for Broke” highlighted the struggles they went through and how these Japanese-American men still faced great racism and their loyalty to the United States was even questioned among their officers. Moreover, this film highlights the changes some the officers went through from being racist to accepting the soldiers. Despite this treatment of their families and the hardships they faced, the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team ended up, and still is today, the most decorated unit in U.S. military history. They participated in 7 major campaigns in Europe, received 7 Presidential Unit Citations, 9,486 Purple Hearts and 18,143 individual decorations for bravery to name but a few.
Movies like this bring forth the argument as to why racism still exists in the military today (let alone in the entire nation). After over 70 years it appears that many do not recognize that Asian-Americans are just as worthy as any American soldier and have every right to freely fight for their country without discrimination – even if it is among their peers. As a concrete and very recent example, soldiers like the late Danny Chen shouldn’t be forced to experience racism. After all of the struggles and changes the United States has gone through as a nation founded on immigrants and defended by immigrants and children of immigrant families. For more than 200 years Asians have been in the United States and since the day they have stepped on American soil have been facing discrimination. One can only hope that the loss of Danny Chen and remembering those great soldiers in the United State’s 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Infantry Battalion will make a change for a better, all-inclusive, American future.
