Colonel Charles W. Pence, a World War I veteran and military science professor, commanded the regiment until he was wounded during the rescue of the Lost Battalion in France in October 1944.1 He was then replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Virgil R. Miller.
HQ Company was responsible for the administration of the unit, from maintaining the unit’s strength to providing medical services for the team. An Intelligence Officer was responsible for combat intelligence and counterintelligence. The Operations and Training Officer coordinated the training of the battalions and attached units. The Logistics Officer took care of supplies and planned the troop movements.2
Footnotes
1Lyn Crost, Honor by Fire: Japanese Americans at War in Europe and the Pacific (Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1997), p. 66.
2Dorothy Matsuo, From Boyhood to War: History and Anecdotes of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (Honolulu, HI: Mutual Publishing, 1992), p. 141.