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This blog is dedicated to the presence of the 100th/442nd on the battlefields of France and Italy in WW2.
80th Anniversary – The 100th lands in Italy
September 2023 will mark the 80th anniversary of the “original” 100th Bn landing on the beaches around Salerno, Italy. Shipping out The men of the Hawaiian Provisional Infantry Battalion left the islands for the mainland in June of 1942. Upon arrival in California, they were renamed the 100th Infantry Battalion. Not assigned to a larger…
ABMC celebrates 100th anniversary
The ABMC (American Battle Monuments Commission) celebrates its 100th anniversary throughout this year. History March 4, 2023 officially marked a century of caring for fallen American soldiers around the world. It was on this day that President Harding signed legislation that established the organisation. Originally the ABMC was created to construct monuments to the Great…
Does history repeat itself?
The first month of 2023 is history already! Time just flies by these days… Times change In the past, January and February tended to be a time of relative quiet to recuperate and spend some time putting all the New Year’s resolutions into practice. After all, you promised yourself to do better with self-care… Not…
What a difference a year makes
What a difference with last December! Looking back… A year ago, we had come to the end of two years of on/off travel restrictions. And just when it looked like things were finally picking up again, Omicron and war in Ukraine threw us another curve ball. The forced stay-at-home period did bring some advantages though.…
We will remember them…
“We will remember them…” The pledge concludes the poem For the Fallen. November is definitely the month dedicated to the memory of those who are no longer with us. All Saints Day and Day of the Dead on November 1st, Remembrance Day or Veterans Day on the 11th, and various other national occasions for remembrance…
Bringing family history to life
Curious about where you come from or which exciting parts of the world play a part in your family history? Tracing ancestry Genealogy inspired travel and ancestry tracing trips have long been a popular way to give special meaning to overseas visits. Especially among communities that saw mass migration from the “old” to the “new”…
Dedicated tours for Nisei families launched with first trip
The first dedicated tour for Nisei families and friends since the pandemic “officially” launched Nisei Legacy Tours. “This trip has been in the making for a long time and it better not disappoint!” I thought. I was sitting in the hotel lobby, waiting for the group to gather. The “regulars” didn’t worry me so much.…
Different travel experience
No longer limited to local trips, running tours again sure counts as a different travel experience. After a 2-year hiatus that saw the entire travel and hospitality industry come to a halt, it finally has all come to life again. Being back on tour is a great feeling and I haven’t stopped smiling yet since…
Formation of 442 RCT 79 years ago
The formation of the 442 RCT 79 years ago on January 28 1943 marked the start of a remarkable story. The performance of the 100th Battalion influenced the volunteer response. So did the desire to show loyalty. And so the number of volunteers who answered the call from the US Army was nearly tenfold the requirement.…
Get ready to travel in 2022!
Are you ready to travel in 2022? Out with the old year… As 2021 draws to a close, I want to thank you for your support this year. You have given me the needed push to look beyond another non-travel year. Reading our blog and FB posts, referring friends with travel plans to us and…
The travel industry is a changed landscape
The world of travel is becoming “a real thing” again. It feels good to start preparing tours for 2022! Domestic travel Now that travel is starting to open up again, it feels exciting to send off for hotel quotes and contact museums for group visits. But in the in the course of the past 2…
Travel on hold for another season?
Travel across Europe is possible again, but with some limitations. For long-haul travel, the limitations are still more extensive. And so, the long-awaited shift from just dreaming about the next trip to actually going is still a little ways off. The summer season is drawing to a close. Normally, the month of September sees a…
Return to travel… finally
A window to return to travel and explore the battlefields again finally opened up. After many months stuck at home, Europe slowly started to open up to allow some recovery of the tourism sector for the summer season. The importance of tourism for especially the southern European countries cannot be overstated. But that doesn’t mean…
2022: 100th/442nd return to Europe
Finally the tide seems to be turning! Soon, families of those who fought with the 100th/442nd return to Europe. After 2 missed seasons – granted, 2021 isn’t over yet, but unlikely to see a big upturn in travel – it brings a great sense of relief that change finally seems to be forthcoming! Our inbox…
Honouring the fallen from a distance for the second year running
Honouring the fallen makes this time of the year normally quite a busy period with commemorations. The end of May sees Memorial Day in the US. A week later, on 5 June, the Liberation of Rome took place. And only a day later the Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy changed Europe’s fate. For…
The Gothic Line as a Battlefield Brand
In April 1945 the Allied troops broke through the Gothic Line. The 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Italy was set to commemorate all the sacrifices made. Unfortunately, the pandemic meant an abrupt end to all the planned celebrations. Changing travel expectations As we eagerly await the resumption of travel, thoughts inevitably turn to how…
Finding treasure: the importance of private archives
Private archives can offer both great insight past events as well as the impact of those events on personal circumstances. The ever-increasing frequency of obituaries makes it undeniable that we are fast losing our Nisei veterans. With them, we also lose our immediate access to more information about their experiences during WW2. There are plenty…
Welcome back to travel in 2021
Well, we may not just yet welcome back travel, but the possibility is becoming more real again. The first month of 2021 has passed, having brought the anticipated second – and in some cases third – wave of infections due to increased social contact over the holiday season. Depending on where you live, you may…
2020 – Out with the Old, in with the New Year
As we have reached the end of the year, it is customary to have a look back at the main events that makes each year different from the previous… Nothing new… 2020 certainly has no comparison in living memory. The last global pandemic, the Spanish flu, raged across continents over 100 years ago. Those who…
Pearl Harbor: How I experienced it
“Remember Pearl Harbor” 79 years ago, on 7 December 1941 just before 8 am local time, the United States was all of a sudden and without warning thrown into WW2. In just 2 hours, a raid by the Japanese air force wreaked havoc on the American fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor. Preceding the declaration…
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