Specific Combat Contributions

African Americans, Japanese Americans, and Navajo Indians

African Americans• Tuskegee Airmen: All African- American

squadron of pilots• Many victories against the Germans

• Earned numerous awards

· Over 15,000 combat sorties · 111 German airplanes destroyed in the air, another 150 on the ground· 950 railcars, trucks, and other motor vehicles destroyed· 1 destroyer sunk by P-47 machine gun fire · Sixty-six pilots killed in action or accidents· Thirty-two pilots downed and captured, POWs· A nearly perfect record of not losing U.S. bombers, a unique achievement· 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses earned· 744 Air Medals· 8 Purple Hearts· 14 Bronze Stars

The combat record of the Tuskegee Airmen speaks for itself:

Japanese Americans “Go For Broke”Japanese Americans “Go For Broke”

• 100th Battalion/ 442nd Regimental Combat Team

• 1,300 Hawaiian Nisei (1st Generation Japanese Americans) fight for U.S.

• Won the most awards in U.S.

history

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the famed Japanese-American unit, earned more than 18,000 individual decorations including: one Medal of Honor, 53 Distinguished Service Crosses, 588 Silver Stars, 5,200 Bronze Star Medals, 9,486 Purple Hearts, eight Presidential Unit Citations (the nation's top award for combat units).

In June 2000, President Clinton awarded an additional 20 Medals of Honor to members of the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental

Combat Team. This was the result of a re-examination of the files of dozens of Japanese-American soldiers to see if any of them might have

been denied awards because of possible prejudice. One of these recipients was Hawaii's U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye.

Navajo Code TalkersNavajo Code Talkers

• Navajo Native Americans

• developed a dictionary and numerous words for military terms

• primary job = transmit important battlefield

info.