<p>The City of Alhambra created a float for the annual Rose Parade in Pasadena honoring the Japanese American WWII Veterans who served in the US army in Europe.  The famous Japanese American WWII regiment called the 442nd was one of the most decorated units in WWII.  The mayor of Alhambra is a Japanese American named Gary Yamauchi and is proud his city created this float.  An article in the Pasadena Star News dated 9/15/14 gives some back ground of the float and history of the 442nd and states:</p>
<p>"<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px;">At the 126th Rose Parade, this 47 percent Asian city will highlight nisei veterans who served the United States during World War II while their friends and family were stuck in relocation camps.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11.326px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px;">The 41-foot-long, 18-foot-wide float is fronted with a recreation of a semicircular “Go For Broke” monument that contains the names of 16,126 nisei soldiers from the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service, 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, 232nd Combat Engineer Company and the 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion. The monument can be found in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles.</p>
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<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11.326px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px;">“Rising to the defense of their country, by the thousands they came — these young Japanese American soldiers from Hawaii, the states, America’s concentration camps — to fight in Europe and the Pacific during World War II,” the inscription by Ben Tamashiro reads. “Looked upon with suspicion, set apart and deprived of their constitutional rights, they nevertheless remained steadfast and served with indomitable spirit and uncommon valor, for theirs was a fight to prove loyalty. This legacy will serve as a sobering reminder that never again shall any group be denied liberty and the rights of citizenship.”</p>
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<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11.326px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px;">The City Council budgeted $130,000 for the float and has hired the Phoenix Decorating Company to build it. Last year, its float was about 37 percent cheaper at $95,000. On Thursday Alhambra unveiled its 2015 Rose Parade float, which falls in line with the Tournament of Roses’ theme of inspiring stories.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11.326px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px;">“Go for Broke” was the motto for the 100th Battalion and was later adopted by the 442nd RCT. It is now the motto for all Japanese-American units formed during WWII."</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11.326px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px;">Mr. Takata is proud to be associated with the Go for Broke Educational Foundation and hopes that more American will learn the history of these brave Japanese Americans.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11.326px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.6520004272461px;"><img src="images/stories/rose parade.jpg" border="0" /></p>
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