The Purple Heart Warriors
Witness History11 Dec 2024

The Purple Heart Warriors

During World War Two, a Japanese American battalion became one of the most decorated army units in US military history.

The 442nd Regimental Combat Unit earned more than 4,000 Purple Hearts and seven Presidential Unit Citations for extraordinary heroism in battle.

The unit was set up in 1943, just over a year after Japan bombed the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. Following the attack, 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the west coast were sent to internment camps, but many were keen to show their loyalty to the US.

They volunteered to join the 442nd RCT and fight in Europe. Hundreds of recruits came from the camps, while thousands of others were from the Japanese American community in Hawaii.

Among them was 19-year-old Matsuichi Kusatsu. His son Clyde tells Jane Wilkinson about how the unit fought prejudice to prove their loyalty, and a warning, this story includes racist language of the time.

Actor Clyde stars in the BBC World Service drama Purple Heart Warriors. To hear this six-part season search for Dramas, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Matsuichi Kusatsu in 1944. Credit: Family photo)

Avsnitt(2000)

The playboy spy who inspired James Bond

The playboy spy who inspired James Bond

During the 1940s, a playboy spy became one of wartime’s most successful double agents, as well as the reported inspiration behind James Bond. A gambler and womanizer who spoke several languages, Dusko...

20 Feb 10min

'I taught the Dalai Lama'

'I taught the Dalai Lama'

In 1944, two Austrian mountaineers fled into the forbidden land of Tibet to escape from a prisoner-of-war camp in India.Heinrich Harrer and his friend Peter Aufschnaiter spent seven years there.Harrer...

19 Feb 10min

The photo which symbolised Argentina’s resistance

The photo which symbolised Argentina’s resistance

Adriana Lestido, an Argentinian newspaper photographer, captured a mother and her young daughter raising their arms in protest in 1982. With clenched fists and anguished faces, they were wearing white...

18 Feb 10min

Toxic shock syndrome and tampon safety

Toxic shock syndrome and tampon safety

In 1980, toxic shock syndrome (TSS) emerged as a public health crisis among women who used tampons. There were hundreds of cases, and The Centers for Disease Control linked deaths from TSS to super-ab...

17 Feb 10min

World War Two’s Shetland Bus

World War Two’s Shetland Bus

During World War Two, whilst Norway was occupied by Nazi Germany, a group of Norwegian sailors set up a base on the Shetland Islands and began aiding their country’s resistance. Named “The Shetland B...

16 Feb 10min

The flooding of Florence

The flooding of Florence

In November, 1966, Florence suffered one of the worst floods in its history after heavy rainfall caused the River Arno to burst.The Italian city was submerged under tons of mud, rubble and sewage, lea...

13 Feb 10min

The Mont Blanc Tunnel

The Mont Blanc Tunnel

In July 1965, a 12km tunnel dug deep beneath the Alps was opened to traffic, making it the longest vehicular tunnel in the world. Linking France and Italy, the Mont Blanc Tunnel was a remarkable feat ...

12 Feb 9min

Gina Lollobrigida interviews Fidel Castro

Gina Lollobrigida interviews Fidel Castro

Gina Lollobrigida was one of the biggest stars of European cinema in the 1950s and 1960s. Often described as "the most beautiful woman in the world", her films included Beat the Devil, the Hunchback o...

11 Feb 10min

Populärt inom Samhälle & Kultur

en-mork-historia
podme-dokumentar
gynning-berg
p3-dokumentar
svenska-fall
mardromsgasten
skaringer-nessvold
aftonbladet-krim
creepypodden-med-jack-werner
spar
killradet
rattsfallen
hor-har
flashback-forever
aterforeningen-en-podcast-med-thorsten-och-richard-flinck-av-sigge-eklund
vad-blir-det-for-mord
historiska-brott
rss-sanning-konsekvens
larm-vi-minns
rysarpodden