The Mississippi Camp That Turned Segregated Japanese Americans Into WWII Heroes

Camp Shelby, Mississippi

The motto “Go For Broke” was born at Camp Shelby, where Japanese American soldiers spent a year learning to fight as a team. From April 1943 to 1944, these men trained in Mississippi heat while proving their loyalty to a country that had locked up their families.

Here’s the story of that training, and the base where you can still see their legacy.

Hawaii Volunteers Arrive at Camp Shelby

The Hawaiian Islands sent 2,686 Nisei soldiers to the 442nd. Nisei were American-born children of Japanese immigrants.

The Army asked for 1,500 Hawaiian volunteers, but more than 10,000 stepped forward. Military officials selected just a fraction of these eager recruits.

Honolulu held a farewell ceremony on March 28, 1943, at Iolani Palace, the historic government building. Between 15,000 and 17,000 people gathered to show support.

Families displayed pride in their sons who would fight for America despite suspicion of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor.

Mainland Japanese Americans Join the Unit

About 1,500 volunteers from mainland internment camps came to Camp Shelby. These men left the barbed wire that surrounded their families.

After Pearl Harbor, the government forced 120,000 Japanese Americans into remote camps. President Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066 authorized this mass relocation.

Many mainland soldiers sent their military pay to parents and siblings still behind barbed wire. They fought to prove their loyalty despite their families’ imprisonment.

Initial mainland recruitment fell short. The Army wanted 3,000 volunteers from internment camps, but only about 1,200 initially joined.

The Buddhaheads and Katonks Cultural Divide

Hawaiian and mainland soldiers quickly developed nicknames for each other. Island recruits became “Buddhaheads” while mainlanders were called “Katonks.”

Buddhahead possibly referred to Buddhist monks or came from “buta,” meaning pig in Japanese. Katonk supposedly mimicked the sound mainland heads made when hitting the floor during fights.

Mainland Nisei spoke formal English while Hawaiians used Pidgin – a mix of Hawaiian, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese and English. These differences led to fights during early training.

Mainland soldiers seemed cold to Hawaiians, while island recruits appeared rowdy to the mainlanders.

The Arkansas Internment Camp Visit

Army leaders saw the dangerous split between Hawaiian and mainland soldiers. To fix this, they sent Hawaiian soldiers to visit nearby internment camps in Arkansas.

The Hawaiians thought they would see small towns with Japanese families. What they found shocked them.

Guard towers with machine guns pointed inward at the camps. Families lived in crowded barracks with no privacy.

Barbed wire fences surrounded these camps built on swampland. This visit changed everything.

Hawaiian soldiers finally understood what mainland soldiers had endured. New respect spread through Camp Shelby, turning former rivals into brothers.

Structure of the 442nd Combat Team

The 442nd worked as a complete fighting unit with specialized parts. This setup allowed them to fight with minimal outside help. Three infantry battalions formed the core.

The 522nd Field Artillery Battalion provided crucial firepower while the 232nd Engineer Company built bridges and cleared obstacles. Captain Pershing Nakada led the 232nd – the only company in the entire Army with all Japanese American soldiers and officers.

The team also included anti-tank units, cannon crews, medical staff, headquarters teams, and even the 206th Army Band. This complete structure prepared them for war in Europe.

Training Regimen at Camp Shelby

Training began in April 1943 and lasted a full year. Soldiers crawled through smoke, practiced attacks, and learned to fire everything from rifles to machine guns.

The men became experts at working together during field exercises. Their instructors noted their discipline despite the challenges of army life in the segregated South.

Throughout this time, many trainees shipped out as replacements for the 100th Infantry Battalion already fighting in Italy. These early deployments made room for new recruits at Camp Shelby.

The 442nd’s performance during training showed they were ready for the challenges ahead.

Go For Broke – The 442nd Motto

“Go For Broke” became the motto of the 442nd. This Hawaiian gambling phrase meant risking everything on one roll of the dice.
Craps players from Hawaii suggested the slogan, which quickly caught on. Military leaders approved it before the regiment left Mississippi.
The phrase fit their situation perfectly. Japanese Americans fought against enemies overseas while also fighting prejudice at home.
By adopting this motto, these soldiers acknowledged what was at stake. Their performance would affect not just military outcomes but how all Japanese Americans were seen during wartime.

Jim Crow Confrontations in Mississippi

Japanese American soldiers faced southern segregation for the first time at Camp Shelby. The strict racial rules shocked many of them.

Segregated buses, whites-only restaurants, and separated movie theaters angered men already facing discrimination themselves. Several 442nd soldiers protested these practices.

Some refused to sit in segregated sections of buses or theaters. Others stepped in when they saw Black Americans mistreated in public.

Officers warned the soldiers that changing Jim Crow laws wasn’t their mission. Despite these warnings, many continued small acts of resistance against the segregation they witnessed.

Leadership and Unit Morale

Colonel Pence became a father figure for the regiment. Quiet and steady, he earned respect by treating the Nisei soldiers fairly and believing in their abilities.

All officers were initially white Americans, following Army policy. Sergeant positions went mainly to mainland Japanese Americans with previous military experience.

This structure frustrated Hawaiian volunteers. They resented mainland soldiers getting sergeant stripes while islanders started as privates regardless of their skills.

Pence led the 442nd through training and into combat until October 1944. During the rescue of the “Lost Battalion” in France, he was wounded and Lieutenant Colonel Miller took command.

Completion of Training and Deployment

After a year of intense preparation, the 442nd finished training in April 1944. Their performance earned praise from military inspectors.

On April 22, 1944, most of the regiment left Mississippi. They traveled to Virginia before boarding ships headed for Europe. The 1st Battalion stayed at Camp Shelby.

These soldiers trained new Japanese American volunteers still arriving from Hawaii and the mainland. The main force reached Italy in June 1944.

There they joined the battle-tested 100th Infantry Battalion, which became part of the 442nd while keeping its original name.

Visiting Camp Shelby

Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center welcomes visitors interested in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team history. The Mississippi Armed Forces Museum on base houses extensive 442nd exhibits.

You’ll find Camp Shelby at 1001 Lee Avenue, Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39407. The museum opens Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM and closes on federal holidays. Admission is free.

The “Go For Broke” walking path takes you through original training grounds, while the museum highlights include Colonel Pence’s field desk and authentic 442nd uniforms.

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