442nd Veteran Enoch Kanaya Decorated with the Legion of Honor by French Government
442nd Veteran Enoch Kanaya receives “The Legion of Honor”, the highest honor issued by the French government, on May 9, 2024, from Yannick Tagand, the Consul General of France in Chicago.
Veteran Enoch Kanaya, who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II, was awarded "The Legion of Honor", the highest honor given by the French government, and the official presentation ceremony was held on May 9 at the Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church on the north side of Chicago.
This Order was founded by Bonaparte Napoleon in 1802 and has been awarded to foreign soldiers who accomplished outstanding service for France. The 100/442nd liberated the town of Bruyères in northern France from the German forces; rescued the Texas Battalion, which was trapped in the Vosges Mountains; and made the first breakthrough on the Gothic Line destroying impregnable German fortresses in thirty minutes. Enoch Kanaya, now 99 years old, fought on the front lines as a bazooka gunner.
The Medal of Honor ceremony was emceed by Robert Hashimoto, Commander of the Chicago Nisei Post 1183, who gave a brief history of Enoch Kanaya. Howard Hieshima, former Commander of the 6th District American Legion, presented the history and accomplishments of the 100 Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
In attendance was Consul General Jun Yanagi in Chicago; Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Chief Director Anthony Vaughn; U.S. Senator Dick Durbin's representative Patrick Reynolds; and Alderman of the Chicago 47th Ward Matthew Martin. Each of them offered words of praise and congratulations to Kanaya.
Yannick Tagand, the Consul General of France in Chicago
The Consul General of France in Chicago, Yannick Tagand, presented the medal to Kanaya and gave special meaning to the award-ceremony date to bestow the Legion of Honor medal to Kayana who had contributed so much to the liberation of France. The May 9th was a day after the May 8th, which was France’s 79th Victory Day, and the day of the end of WWII in Europe. It also came as the 80th anniversary of D-Day approaching June 6th.
Consul General Tagand said, "In June 1944, Sergeant Kanaya was inducted into the US Army at 19 years old where he joined the famed Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team. This all-Japanese-American regiment, known as ‘Go for Broke,’ would be recognized as the best fighting unit in the US Army for its speed and accuracy."
He also explained the difficulty of Kanaya’s military activities in France, saying, "In February of 1945, he was deployed to the Alpes Martimes in Southern France along the border of France and Italy, where he joined the F "Fox" Company, 2nd Battalion. This region was extremely mountainous, dangerous, and was one of the toughest to secure."
Tagand further detailed Kanaya's military service, including rifleman; bazooka gunner; squad leader in close combat; securing and defending the right flank of the Sixth Army Group; repelling; raiding; fighting German troops; border patrols; setting up minefields and booby bombs; defending railroad tunnels; and capturing prisoners and collecting intelligence.
Then, in March 1946 after weeks of combat, Kanaya was sent to destroy the German fortress on the Gothic Line, where he fought successfully. In July 1946, he left Europe and returned to the U.S. as one of the last remaining 442nd.
From left: Robert Hashimoto, Commander of the Nisei Post Chicago 1183, Enoch Kanaya, and Consul General of France Yannick Tagand
Consul General Tagand praised Sgt. Kanaya for his valor, bravery, and daring in combat, and also paid tribute to the fact that members of the 442nd have received the highest number of decorations in the U.S. military, including the Congressional Gold Medal, and said, " Mr. Kanaya, you are a true hero. Thanks to you, I grew up in a free country," and pinned the medal on Kanaya's chest. Kanaya and Consul General Tagand received a standing ovation.
Enoch Kanaya
Kanaya thanked Consul General Tagand for a prestigious medal, and said, "I want to make credit. This does not really belong to me. I think all of the GI veterans of the 442nd deserve this medal as much as I do.”
Kanaya continued, "And all those GI WWII veterans, I want to thank them also. (Journalist) Thomas John Brokaw said, ‘WWII veterans actually save the world. We get all of us free.’ I think he made a good statement. If it wasn’t for GI WWII veterans, we would not be here today.”
Kanaya then said, "I want to thank, especially, the member of the 442nd because we lost a lot of men. They did so for the reason that they wanted to prove all Japanese Americans were loyal. We fought not only for our country, but we fought for the freedom of Japanese Americans in concentration camps, to free them from all these camps. How much we fought to get for this…” His tears oozed up in his eyes.
Kanaya's daughter Carola Kanaya thanked the French government for awarding her father, saying, "It’s not given lightly or often but he is well deserving. He has sacrificed his entire life for the U.S.”
His daughter Barbara Kanaya said, "My dad actually helped build this (Ravenswood Church) more or less, like I said, he spent his entire life as a volunteer custodian.”
Enoch Kanaya has been in good health and had no trouble with his daily activities, including driving. He had lived in Chicago since his discharge from the U.S. Military; however, the day after the award ceremony, he left for New York to live with his daughter Barbara.
Jun Yanagi, Consul General of Japan in Chicago
In his remarks, Jun Yanagi, Consul General of Japan in Chicago said that although the United States and Japan fought fiercely about 80 years ago, today’s firm bonds, mutual trust, and deep friendship between the people of the two countries were the foundation of the U.S.-Japan alliance and global partnership, which were built on the support of a wide range of organizations in the American society including the Japanese American community.
Consul General Yanagi also mentioned the good Japan-U.S. relationship, “This might be partly thanks to the loyalty and service to the U.S. demonstrated by the 442nd unit composed of Japanese ancestry.”
Yanagi praised the contributions to the U.S. made by the 442nd, who risked their lives and fought the prejudice and hatred among the American people, and said, “It is our duty to pass on to the next generation about the history of Japanese Americans who never lost their pride and tense battles.”
Story of Enoch Kanaya
Enoch Kanaya in his days as the 442nd member
Enoch Haruo Kanaya was born in May 1925 in Clackamas, Oregon. His father was Masaichi and his mother was Fumiko. His father moved to Seattle, Washington in 1900, and his mother came to the U.S. in 1914 as a picture bride and married the same year. His sister Ruby Shigeko and brother Jimmy T. were born, and Enoch was the third and youngest child.
On December 7, 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Imperial Army uprooted the entire Kanaya family's lives.
On September 10, 1942, the Kanayas were first sent to the Puyallup Assembly Center (Fair Grounds), then sent to and incarcerated at Minidoka Relocation (Concentration) Center, Hunt, Idaho where Kanaya graduated from high school.
In January 1944, the U.S. Army began recruiting Japanese American soldiers to be the members of the 442nd, and Kanaya immediately registered, but was rejected as a "4C.” Four months later, he received a letter, that said that this time the authority accepted him as a "1A."
On May 21, Kanaya registered for the U.S. military draft at the Local Board, Jerome County, Idaho.
On June 21, 1944, he was drafted into the U.S. Army at Fort Douglas, Utah, and received 16-week basic combat arms training at Camp Blanding, Florida.
The 100/442nd, which had arrived in France earlier than Kanaya’s team, was fighting the Germans, and then it was ordered to rescue the Texas Battalion, known as the Lost Battalion, on October 27, 1944. The Texas Battalion was stuck in the mountains of the Vosges, surrounded by German troops, but no U.S. troop could save it. The 100/442nd successfully rescued the Lost Battalion within a few days and suffered 800 casualties, but after the rescue, the battle with the Germans continued until November 17, when they entered the city of Saint-Die.
The 100/442nd, which had 2,943 soldiers and officers on October 13, suffered with 140 killed, 1,800 wounded, and 43 missing in action at Vosges, bringing the 100/442nd total members to less than 800.
Kanaya was sent to France as a replacement in January 1945 and was assigned to F "Fox" Company, 2nd Battalion, 442nd. There he served in the Rhineland-Maritimes-Alps, Northern Apennines, and Po Valley Campaigns.
Kanaya was promoted to sergeant and served in the Rhineland-Maritime-Alps Military Action, defending the railroad tunnels running under the Alps. The 442nd also patrolled and defended an area extending 18 miles from the northern Mediterranean to the Maritimes-Alps in France. 442nd's key military service was the defense of the southern French coast, including Breil, Cannes, L'Escarène, Menton, Monaco, Monte Carlo, Nice, Peïra Cava, and Sospel.
Gothic Line
The 442nd, including Kanaya, returned to the port of Marseilles in mid-March 1945 under secret orders. On March 23 of the same year, the 442nd boarded Land Craft Tanks (LCTs), spent 3 days on the open ocean, and landed at Leborno-Leghorn, Italy, on March 25. The mission was to crack the German Gothic Line as a key Allied combat unit and push the Germans into the vast Po Valley.
On the night of April 3 of that year, the first group of the 100/442nd began climbing the towering Gothic Line crag. The second group, including Kanaya, began climbing the 3,000-foot mountain on the night of the 4th, carrying a 45-pound pack on one’s back, plus tons of bullets, a raincoat, a shovel, and more. In a 2011 interview, Kanaya said, "I was young, so I was fine. But it was very cold.” The mountain was so steep that a soldier dropped his helmet, but the enemy did not notice.
The climb took eight hours. The general attack began at 5:00 a.m. on the 5th. Kanaya and F Company climbed up to the top, code-named Georgia, and the attack began a few minutes after they reached the top. Kanaya and others attacked the German rear, and the fortress fell in a little more than 30 minutes. The Gothic Line, which the 442nd broke through for the first time, had stalled allied military operations for the previous five months.
The first three forts fell in a little over 30 minutes each, but the Germans were not asleep forever. The 442nd advanced to the next mountain and was heavily counterattacked with grenades and machine guns, but by the next day, the 442nd destroyed Ohio 1, 2, 3, and Mount Belvedere one after the other, Montignoso by the 8th, Mount Brugiana and Carrara by the 11th, and Ortonovo by the 15th.
By the 17th, the Germans had destroyed the fort by themselves and retreated, making a final attempt at resistance at Aulla. The last German stronghold was Mount Nobbione, and the 442nd began its attack on Aulla on the 19th.
On the 21st, Lieutenant Daniel Inouye (later U.S. Senator) of E Company was destroying enemy machine gun nests one by one with hand grenades. He was hit in the abdomen with the first one but destroyed the second, and was shot in the right arm while holding a grenade to destroy the third one. He immediately grabbed the grenade with his left hand and threw it, destroying the third gun nest. At that moment, the dying enemy opened fire and Lt. Inouye was further shot in the right leg, but he ordered his men to advance, and E Company dropped Colle Musatello.
On the same day, F Company launched an attack on the village of Pariana and was met with a furious Fascist Party counterattack. But F and G Company attacked from the front, left and right, taking 135 prisoners.
A few days later, the 2nd Battalion of the 442nd attacked from the right of Mount Nebbione and Mount Carbolo, and Task Force Fukuda, including F Company, attacked from the left and pinched the Germans, forcing them to retreat to Aulla.
Aulla fell on the 25th, at which time the Germans began to surrender, and the Allies won the Battle of Europe on May 8, 1945.
In the Gothic Line attack, 101 Japanese American soldiers were killed in action and 874 were wounded.
Kanaya received the Bronze Star Medal for bravery on April 20, 1945.
After the End of the War in Europe
On May 8, 1945, the 442nd including Kanaya was located in Northern Italy close to the Swiss border when WWII in Europe ended, Victory in Europe (VE) Day.
On February 10, 1946, the 2nd Battalion, 442nd was inactivated in the vicinity of Leghorn, Italy, and Kanaya was transferred to C "Charlie" Company, the 100th Battalion.
After WWII, Kanaya was tasked with guarding prisoners of war (POW) at Mussolini's Academy and Rest Camp in Italy.
Return to the U.S.
On July 2, 1946, Kanaya was one of 480 Japanese American soldiers including 19 officers of the 442nd got on aboard the S.S. Wilson Victory and returned to the Continental U.S. from Livorno, Italy.
The WWII Japanese American veteran heroes were welcomed in New York Harbor with "Welcome Home" burners flown by two boats, brass band music, and loudspeakers. A Navy blimp (airship) and Army Air Force aircraft flying in formation escorted the troops up the Hudson River. Kanaya recalls the local Nikkei community's warm welcome for the returning soldiers.
On July 18, 1946, Sgt. Kanaya and other members of the 442 were issued rifles from an armory and participated in a military dress parade down Constitution Avenue, and a pass in review on the U.S. Capitol Grounds. President Harry Truman personally welcomed back and decorated the 442nd RCT with the Distinguished Unit Citation (now known as the Presidential Unit Citation).
President Truman praised the 442nd for their service, saying, "You fought not only the enemy, but you fought prejudice and you won.”
On July 18, 1946, Kanaya was honorably discharged at the Separation Center at Fort George G. Meade in Maryland.
After Honorable Discharge
From left: Enoch Kanaya, Consul General Yannick Tagand, and Enock’s daughter Carola Ruth
Enoch Kanaya then studied at Amundsen Jr. College and Northwestern University, graduated from the American Television Institute in 1950, and went to work for Admiral Corporation as a television technician, retiring in 1987.
Enoch Kanaya married Carolyn Yukiko (née Abe) on April 27, 1952, and they raised four daughters, Carola Ruth, Barbara Jan, Rita, and Sherri.
The100/442nd, the Most Decorated Unit in the U.S. Army
<About the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team>
The Japanese American soldiers from Hawaii were named the 100th Infantry Battalion, while those from the U.S. mainland were named the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
The 100th Infantry was deployed to the front line in Italy in late August 1943 and defeated the Germans on multiple battlefields advancing in northern Italy while the 100th was suffering heavy casualties.
The 100th Infantry fought with replacements, but by the end of the Battle of Monte Cassino, its 1,300 men had been reduced to 500 in five months.
Meanwhile, the 442nd left the U.S. on May 1, 1944, to enter Europe. The 100th was then incorporated as the 1st. Battalion of the 442nd in June of the same year. However, the 100th Infantry Battalion had already achieved considerable success, so its name was retained. Because of this background, it is often abbreviated as the 100/442nd.
Decorations and Honors
The 100/442nd is known as the most highly decorated unit in U.S. military history. The 4,000 soldiers who initially came in April 1943 had to be replaced nearly 2.5 times. In total, about 10,000 men served according to Wikipedia.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/442nd_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)#Service_decorations_and_legacy)
The 100/442nd received a total of 18,143 medals including 8 Presidential Unit Citations, 21 Medals of Honor, 52 Distinguished Service Crosses, 1 Distinguished Service Medal, 371 Silver Stars, 22 Legion of Merit Medals, and 15 Soldier's Medals, 4,000 Bronze Stars (plus 1,200 Oak Leaf Cluster Medals), over 4,000 Purple Hearts Medals.
In addition to the above, Honorary Texans in appreciation of the 442nd's rescue of the Lost Battalion; the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest U.S. decoration; and the chevaliers of the French Légion d'Honneur Medal, the highest French government's decoration for foreign legionnaires. (Reference on the figures of the medal: Ukipedia)
In addition to this, in 2021, a stamp depicting a Japanese American soldier was released to honor the contributions of 33,000 Japanese American soldiers during World War II.