JACL condemns Trump erasure of 442nd and 100th Infantry Battalion

President Trump’s crusade to wipe out any reference to diversity, equity and inclusion is leading to a whitewashing of American history.

On March 7, reports surfaced that some 26,000 images equated with DEI had been flagged for removal from the Pentagon website.

That apparently has also been extended to the U.S. Army website.

The JACL today said it is “deeply alarmed and disappointed” by the erasure of references to the accomplishment of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat team.

“The 100th and 442nd remain the most decorated military units in U.S. history for their size and length of service,” the Japanese American Citizens League said in a statement. “Their heroism, despite the racism and incarceration their families faced at home, is a testament to their loyalty and sacrifice, as is their unit motto, “Go For Broke.”’

The action contradicts the signing by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1988 of the Civil Liberties Act authorizing $1.6 billion in reparations to surviving Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II.

During the signing, Reagan noted Kazuo Masuda gave his life to this country while with the 442nd- even as his family remained incarcerated behind barbed wire.

“In one action, Kazuo ordered his men back and advanced through heavy fire, hauling a mortar. For 12 hours, he engaged in a singlehanded barrage of Nazi positions. Several weeks later at Cassino, Kazuo staged another lone advance. This time it cost him his life,” Reagan noted, according to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.

“The removal of their history from the Army’s website is not just an administrative decision—it is an attempt to erase the legacy of thousands of soldiers who gave everything for a country that doubted them,” JACL noted.

Today it demanded that Defense Secretary Hegseth order the immediate return of the information on the Army’s website.

“Failing to do so erases the heroic legacy and heritage of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the armed forces and dishonors their distinguished service.”