Remember, Educate, & Inspire
In 1986, a group of military veterans embareked on a mission that would prove to be one of the more important and rewarding missions of their lives. Led by Colonel (Ret.) Young Oak Kim and Yoshio Buddy “Y.B.” Mamiya, the group sought to bring recognition to the Japanese American soldiers who patriotically fought for their country during World War II.
Go For Broke National Education Center maintains the Go For Broke Monument as well as extensive oral histories and archives, education and training programs, and other initiatives.
- “Go For Broke” was the motto of the 442nd Regimental CombatTeam, a segregated army unit comprised of Japanese Americans from Hawaiʻi and the continental United States. The term is slang for “all or nothing.” During a game of “craps” a player might wager all of his money on a single roll of the dice — putting everything on the line to win or lose. For the soldiers, “go for broke” meant that they would put everything on the line to win the wwar against the Germans in Europe and the war against racial prejudice at home.
- The Go For Broke Monument is less than a block away and was dedicated on June 5, 1999.
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