Purple Heart Warriors: Interview with Clyde Kusatsu

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team is one of the most decorated Army units in U.S. military history. Yet, their story is still not widely known.

Comprised of second-generation Japanese Americans, or Nisei, the 442nd would leave behind an untouched legacy. The unit was formed in 1943, at a time when thousands of Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps on the West Coast. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese American volunteers wanted to show their loyalty to the U.S. by answering the call to war. Some of these recruits came from the mainland U.S., while many others were from the Japanese American community in Hawai’i. The 442nd earned over 4,000 Purple Hearts for their bravery during World War II.

This inspiring story is retold in the six-part audio drama Purple Heart Warriors. Actor Clyde Kusatsu, who lends his voice to Purple Heart Warriors, has a deeply personal connection to this history. His father, Matsuichi Kusatsu, volunteered to join the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and fought in Europe when he was 19. Mr. Kusatsu has kindly taken the time to speak with Honest History and share the story of the Purple Heart Warriors.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Against all odds, the unit became one of the most decorated army units in U.S. military history. What were some of the unique struggles the 442nd faced as Japanese American soldiers?

By the time the mid-forties were rolling along, the majority of the population in Hawai’i was Japanese American. And within that context, there was the growing threat of the expansion of the Japanese empire. In Hawai’i, there was a great mistrust and suspicion of the Japanese and, therefore, anybody that would look Japanese.

Many of the Japanese Americans in Hawai’i grew up as Americans. They felt that they truly were Americans except, of course, they understood that they were looked down upon—there was prejudice, there was bigotry, etc.

As soon as Pearl Harbor happened, the ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) at the University of Hawai’i was mobilized into what was called the Hawaii Territorial Guard. My father was then enlisted when he was 18.

 

Matsuichi Kusatsu in New Orleans in 1943.
Image courtesy of Clyde Kusatsu.

But then, in January of 1942, shortly after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Americans were all discharged from the guard. And that created a lot of ill will on the part of the Japanese Americans who felt that they were loyal Americans. Discharging them meant they were being distrusted and not considered full Americans.

But there were Japanese Americans who were already in the military before the attack on Pearl Harbor, stationed in Hawai’i and across the United States. The Army didn't know what to do with these men. So, they placed them into a separate unit called the 100th Battalion, or the Purple Heart Battalion.

"The Japanese American soldiers felt that to prove their loyalty, they had to be willing to do so in blood and fight for their country."

And, long story short, by the time the Second World War ended, their reputation of bravery, sacrifice, and aggressiveness in combat was well known in the U.S. Army, and they were very well respected.

 

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team in France, 1944. Image credit: US Army.

The unit had a motto: “Go For Broke”, which meant to put everything out there, to go all in. How did it capture the spirit of the 442nd? And why did that become their motto?

That was a gambling term from Hawai’i—playing dice. You would say, “Go for broke!” Which means to put it all out there. Let's do it, and don't hold back. You know, there's a little sense of humor there.

The soldiers got into a lot of fights because they stood up for themselves. Even in the training. And they had to be cautioned not to. They had to be cautioned also to not be baited into a situation in which they could find themselves on the wrong end of the stick. But more like to play it smart.

You mentioned that your father served in the 442nd. Were there any specific stories your father shared with you about his time in the 442nd that resonated with you while working on the series?

Growing up, a lot of kids used to have show and tell at school and bring souvenirs that their fathers “collected” in the Second World War. So I asked my father, “Didn't you have any souvenirs?” And he said very evenly, “Well, one night we were surrounded, and it looked pretty dark. We didn't know if we were going to be captured or not. And everybody started digging next to them and putting everything that they had collected into the hole and burying it because you didn't want to be captured holding all those items.” You would be not treated very well by the enemy troops.

He told me about times in training camp in Louisiana. They would catch the catfish and make their version of sashimi—you know, the sliced raw fish—and how they would find and try to localize anything to resemble the food they grew up with.

"When they were on leave, this was the first time a lot of the guys saw a big city like San Francisco, New Orleans, New York City, or Washington, D.C."

My father did speak with pride about how in Italy, they were part of the vanguard that broke the German defenses, and they wanted to share in the celebration by going to the victory parade through Rome. But they were ordered not to because they were Japanese Americans. The higher command didn't want to have the “minority troops” amongst the victory troops. So, they were prevented from taking part in that. But my father said, “Well, we still snuck into Rome to see the sights anyway.”

Matsuichi Kusatsu poses with a civilian in Italy, 1945.
Image courtesy of Clyde Kusatsu.

What was life like for the 442nd after the war? 

After the war, many of the 442nd came back and took advantage of the GI Bill. They went to college to get their degrees in law, medicine, etc. The GI Bill was a great aid for many people because it provided them that extra jump into a situation they would not have been able to afford. Those who went back to Hawai’i felt that they earned better acceptance and treatment, but they were shunned by the Republican Party. At that time, in Hawai’i, the Republican Party was the main party.

But there was a fellow named John A. Burns, who was a former police captain, who saw the loyalty of the Japanese Americans. He was one of the defenders of the Japanese American community during the war years in Hawai’i. Burns also became one of the main leaders in the Democratic Party. And he began to recruit these young Japanese American (or Nisei) veterans into the political sphere.

And in a way, that's how political change started to happen in Hawai’i—when these veterans started getting elected to the local legislature, and then the House of Representatives and the Senate when Hawai’i became a state. Daniel Inouye, a Purple Heart hero, was one of the first congressmen from Hawai’i.

What do you hope listeners will take away from Purple Heart Warriors?

It's a story about the boys when they were fighting in the European Theater. Also, I think it's a story about the main protagonist coming to learn what his father experienced and why his father reacted a certain way, which is my character, you know, the older version.

As I got older and more informed, instead of going, “Why is my father always angry? Why is he short with me? Why is he impatient?” I understood there were a lot of reasons. He dealt with the war. He dealt with a combat situation. He dealt with life and death situations that he found himself in that he couldn't fully share, which caused PTSD, reliving that because he never found an outlet for it. And I think had he been able to find a group to talk about it, to explore it, it might have might have changed his evolution in a different direction, so to speak.

"People may be carrying the same thing, but they are not willing to break the pattern. But you can break the pattern. Sometimes, it's up to you to find your own path to do that. And if one kid can find his own path or learn that it's okay to find their own path, that’s important."

 

442nd Regimental Combat Team holding a section of the front lines near St. Die Area, France, 1944. Image credit: US Army Signal Corps.

What do you believe is the most important message of the series?

I think it's important for people to understand their own history. Many people can relate to the story of the 442nd. They don't have to be Japanese Americans to relate. Almost every culture who has their own cultural history can relate to what's going on.

Sometimes, you have to deal with not getting the glory but just surviving. And sometimes maybe surviving is more important than the other thing. Do you want to remain a victim, or do you want to be a survivor?

"And being a survivor doesn't mean you're a victim, because it means you have an inner strength that allows you to persevere."

What advice would you give to kids today about the importance of remembering and learning from history?

It’s very important to find out who you are. I think if you find out who you are, you're learning that you are somebody, you belong, and therefore, you don't have to live in shame or embarrassment. But rather have a sense of pride in your background and culture. And some of it is not pretty; some of the history is very distressing. But at the same time, if kids are really interested, then I think an honest question deserves an honest answer.

Matsuichi Kusatsu with fellow soldiers and friends in France, 1944.
Image courtesy of Clyde Kusatsu.

 

Dive into this remarkable story with Purple Heart Warriors, now available wherever you get your podcasts. 

And if you're looking for more WWII history, don't forget our kids' magazine! Issue 20 | From the Battlefront explores the often-untold stories of the Second World War.

 

 

Cover image: Images of 442nd RCT sign and Matsuichi Kusatsu courtesy of Clyde Kusatsu.