The Purple Heart Warriors

Dec 11, 2024

Clyde Kusatsu, an actor and the son of Matsuichi Kusatsu from the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, shares the compelling journey of Japanese American soldiers during WWII. He discusses the courage it took for these men to fight prejudice while serving their country, revealing how they transformed their internment trauma into valor on the battlefield. Clyde reflects on the 442nd's heroic rescue mission during the Battle of the Lost Battalion, and delves into the surreal, personal stories that highlight both sacrifice and legacy in the face of adversity.

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ANECDOTE

The 442nd's Story

Mutsuichi Kusatsu, a Nisei from Hawaii, served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during WWII.
The unit, composed of Japanese Americans, faced prejudice but fought bravely to prove their loyalty.

INSIGHT

Pearl Harbor and Internment

After Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans faced discrimination and suspicion due to their resemblance to the enemy.
Executive Order 9066 led to the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast.

ANECDOTE

Defiance in Los Angeles

Returning 442nd soldiers, wearing their military decorations, confronted a bar in Los Angeles that displayed a "No Japs Allowed" sign.
They tore the sign in half, demonstrating their resistance to racism.

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During World War Two, a Japanese American battalion became one of the most decorated army units in US military history.

The 442nd Regimental Combat Unit earned more than 4,000 Purple Hearts and seven Presidential Unit Citations for extraordinary heroism in battle.

The unit was set up in 1943, just over a year after Japan bombed the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. Following the attack, 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the west coast were sent to internment camps, but many were keen to show their loyalty to the US.

They volunteered to join the 442nd RCT and fight in Europe. Hundreds of recruits came from the camps, while thousands of others were from the Japanese American community in Hawaii.

Among them was 19-year-old Matsuichi Kusatsu. His son Clyde tells Jane Wilkinson about how the unit fought prejudice to prove their loyalty, and a warning, this story includes racist language of the time.

Actor Clyde stars in the BBC World Service drama Purple Heart Warriors. To hear this six-part season search for Dramas, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

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(Photo: Matsuichi Kusatsu in 1944. Credit: Family photo)