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Episode #599 of Hometown Heroes, airing October 24-28, 2019, marks the 75th anniversary of the rescue of the “Lost Battalion” in France’s Vosges Mountains by the “Go For Broke” soldiers of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Explore the background and detailed of that famed rescue through this link at the Densho Encyclopedia.

More than 200 soldiers from the 36th Infantry Division had been surrounded by the Germans, their supply lines cut off. Other units had attempted to break through the enemy lines to rescue them, only to be turned back. The 442nd was able to free the surrounded troops, but that rescue came at the cost of more than 800 casualties among the Japanese-American soldiers of the 442. This episode features accounts of that endeavor from two men who were wounded in their effort to rescue the trapped soldiers, as well as one member of the “Lost Battalion” who was among those rescued.

Before diving into those first-hand memories, this episode includes an invitation to participate two upcoming events at which some of the veterans you’ve heard on Hometown Heroes will be honored. On November 9 in Los Angeles, photographer Zach Coco will celebrate the culmination of his Pictures for Heroes project with a book release party and gallery exhibit. Some of the World War II veterans whose portraits and stories he has captured will be in attendance. Click here for more information, or call (315)882-5463. Coco discussed Pictures for Heroes on episode #542 of Hometown Heroes in 2018.

The other upcoming events mentioned will take place on the first two days of November in Clovis, CA. Sara Vladic and Lynn Vincent, authors of the New York Times bestseller Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the 50-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man, will be the keynote speakers at a gala fundraiser for the Central Valley Veterans Day Parade. 2019 marks the 100th year of the parade, now billed as the largest Veterans Day Parade in the United States. Vladic and Vincent will speak on Saturday, November 2 at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District. Three men who have shared their survival stories on Hometown Heroes will be guests of honor at the gala. Gordon Scott, Albert Henderson, and Bob Cole all survived the sinking of their aircraft carriers during World War II. For tickets to that event, call (559)289-3417. Sara Vladic will also be on hand in the same facility on Friday, November 1 for a free screening of her acclaimed documentary, U.S.S. Indianapolis: The Legacy, from 6-8 p.m.

In Bruyeres, France this week, U.S. representatives were on hand for the 75th anniversary of that town’s liberation in the push to rescue the “Lost Battalion.” Rep. Ed Case (D-HI), joined by his wife, Audrey, whose uncle was part of the 442nd’s effort there, delivered a speech honoring Bruyeres’ Nisei liberators.

“Through their bravery and heroism and go-for-broke spirit, and incurring terrible losses, they became the most decorated unit in American history,” Case remarked. “But they did much more, for they accomplished their mission back home.”

Lawson Sakai contributed to that valor overseas that would help peel back prejudice in America. Sakai is celebrating his 96th birthday this weekend, but spent his 21st birthday fighting against German forces in the Vosges mountains.