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Photo 7: Monument to the Men of the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, Rohwer Memorial Cemetery.

The concrete monument shown in this photo was designed, built, and inscribed by evacuees living at Rohwer. It honors the combined 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team. In seven major campaigns in Europe this all-Nisei unit, made up of both volunteers and draftees, suffered nearly 10,000 casualties with some 800 of its members killed or dying of wounds later.

Questions for Photo 7

1. What does the base of the monument shown in this photo emulate? Why might this design have been chosen? Do you think it is appropriate? Why or why not?

2. Why do you think the evacuees thought it was important to build a monument like this? Why do you think they included an American flag on the monument?

3. The 110th/442nd was the most decorated unit of its size in the U.S. Army in World War II, earning one Congressional Medal of Honor, 560 Silver Stars, 4,000 Bronze Stars, and almost 10,000 Purple Hearts. Why do you think Japanese Americans from Rohwer and the other relocation centers fought so bravely for the United States?

4. If you were an evacuee living at Rohwer, would you have volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army? If you were drafted, would you serve?

* The photo on this screen has a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a larger version of Photo 7, but be aware that the file will take as much as 35 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.