Here is why April 5 is known as Go for Broke Day – Orange County Register

Bravery

April 5 is known as Go for Broke Day. The term was the slogan for an army unit composed of Japanese Americans in Hawaii and the American continent, unity is recognized as the most decorated in the history of the American army. Their motto is the slang of gamber to risk all this in a single effort to win big. The fierce combat unit had rates of victims raised during the Second World War.

More than 33,000 Americans of Japanese origin served in the American armed forces during the Second World War, with many services with the 100th infantry battalion or the 442nd regimental combat team.

The reason why the Broke day is April 5 is for heroic actions of the private Sadao S. Munemori private private class. Munemori was born in Los Angeles in 1922. He joined the US military on November 2, 1941, a month before the attack by Pearl Harbor.

After the attack and executive decree of President Roosevelt 9066, the family of Munemori, as well as thousands of other Americans of Japanese origin, were sent to Manzanar. Located in the Sierra mountains of California, Manzanar was one of the 10 Japanese internment camps established during the war.

You can visit the Manzanar National Historical Website here.

You can find out more about the 442nd on the army site here.

Munemori medal of honor

“He fought with great bravery and fearlessness near will be in Italy. When his unit was pinned by making the fire of the strong mountainous defense of the enemy and the team command devoted him with the injury of his regular leader, he made frontal attacks, a man through a direct fire and knocked out two machine guns with grenades.

Withdrawing under deadly fire and grenade showers from other enemy locations, he had almost reached a shell crater occupied by two of his men when a unploded grenade bounced back on his helmet and rolled towards his defenseless comrades. He appeared in the wilted fire, plunged for the missile and smothered his explosion with his body.

By its rapid and supremely heroic action PFC. Munemori saved two of his men at the cost of his own life and did a lot to open the way in the victorious advance of his business. »»

Munemori received the medal of honor posthumously on March 13, 1946. It was buried in the Evergreen cemetery in Los Angeles.

The units lost 650 men, more than 3,700 were injured in combat and 67 were declared missing in combat.

During their two years of service, the 442nd RCT and the 100th IB, before he joined the 442nd, won:

• 7 quotes from the presidential unit
• 2 meritorious service plates
• 36 Army Presolars
• 87 Division Adouances

Individual soldiers received 18,000 decorations, including:

Sources: American army, 442nd.org; GOFORBROKE.ORG; Us Army Mediterranean Theater of Operations Information-Education Section, National World World Museum Photos: US Army Archives, The Associated Press, National Congressal Medal of Honor Society

Originally published: April 3, 2025 at 11:24 p.m.