Moffett Field Museum • Speaker Series with Robert Adachi

Join us as Robert Adachi shares the story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team—Japanese-American soldiers who became WWII heroes while their families were held in internment camps. Learn about their incredible bravery, including the rescue of the “Lost Battalion” and the liberation of Dachau.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, xenophobic tensions intensified as the United States prepared for a potential Japanese assault on the West Coast. Japanese Americans were labeled as “security risks.” On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, directing the removal and incarceration of over 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent along the entire Pacific Coast. Nearly 62% of those interned were second-generation Japanese American citizens, or Nisei. The conditions in the camps were harsh, with barracks lacking privacy and indoor plumbing.

At the same time, the Army established the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, an Asian American unit composed primarily of volunteer Nisei. The 442nd served in both the European and Pacific Theaters during WWII but are best known for their valor in Europe.

In 1944, the 442nd landed in Italy and later joined the invasion of southern France. They famously rescued the “Lost Battalion” at Biffontaine, suffering nearly 1,600 casualties to save 211 surrounded soldiers of the 1st Battalion. By April 1945, they had pushed into Germany and were among the first Allied troops to liberate prisoners at the Dachau concentration camp. The 442nd earned 9,486 Purple Hearts, earning them the nickname “The Purple Heart Battalion.”

Robert (Bob) Adachi is a third-generation Japanese American, or Sansei. He graduated from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and spent his career working for various federal agencies until his retirement in October 2015. Since 2017, Bob has served as a docent at the 442nd/100th Exhibit at the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda, CA.

-Moffett Field Museum - Bay 3

-12pm - 1pm

-Tickets Available Online & At The Door

-FREE with Museum Membership (Membership will be checked at the door)

-$15 to attend for Adults, Seniors, & Children

-Includes Museum Admission