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A commissioned work by Mililani High School Band, Hawaii. First performed by the band on March 1st, 2000, at the Pan Pacific Band Festival, held at the city of Hamamatsu of Shizuoka prefecture, Japan. Dedicated in memory of the men of the 100th Battalion, and the 442nd Infantry Regiment of the United States Army, which was mainly formed by soldiers of Japanese ancestry.
Pertaining to the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Imperial Navy on 7th December 1941, people of Japanese ancestry were categorized as criminals, with all properties confiscated, and confined to internment camps, facing discrimination and oppression in the US.
It was the time for the Japanese Americans, who were born in the US to immigrant parents, to stand up and prove their loyalty to their one and only true home. They responded voluntarily to the military draft, fought bravely as soldiers of the United States Army on the frontlines of Europe. To this day, they serve as the pride of all Japanese Americans.
One cannot imagine the indescribable feeling experienced by these soldiers, loyal to America at heart, but connected by blood to Japan. This symphonic poem, aims to illustrate the state of mind and emotions felt by them. The title is derived from the motto of the 442nd Infantry Regiment, "Go For Broke".
On another note, Internet searches with "100 442" as keywords return with numerous results associated with this particular piece of history. In conjunction with the marking of the 70th year of the end of World War II, may this piece also serve as a call to know the truths of war, and above all, a chance to understand the race problem.
