This was where the 100th/442nd broke the [URL="http://www.goforbroke.org/IMP/location_mtfolgorito_visited.swf"][COLOR="Blue"][U]Gothic Line [/U][/COLOR][/URL]in April 1945 that had stalemated Allied forces for 6 months. We climbed it from the easy side and I carried a photo copy of a 442nd white officer Captain Edward Nilges who was killed in that area for his nephew who lives in Hong Kong.

Way to go @sanseibear.

SanseiBear;842127861 said:

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This was where the 100th/442nd broke the [URL="http://www.goforbroke.org/IMP/location_mtfolgorito_visited.swf"][COLOR="Blue"][U]Gothic Line [/U][/COLOR][/URL]in April 1945 that had stalemated Allied forces for 6 months. We climbed it from the easy side and I carried a photo copy of a 442nd white officer Captain Edward Nilges who was killed in that area for his nephew who lives in Hong Kong.

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Way to go, Sanseibear! I guess the weather didn't allow you to climb from the "hard" side! :p

Great picture and story.

very nice!
:bravo

Any side is easier when no one is shooting at you!

59bear;842128086 said:

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Any side is easier when no one is shooting at you!

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All we faced was fog and rain until we reached the summit when the rain turned to hail the size of peas and lightening struck nearby. I jumped into a bunker used by the Germans for protection, then hurriedly descended.



Photo of the summit on a clear day. Our guide has marked it with a red line to show the path some members of 442nd took to capture the summit. We took the easier path that went to the right which was probably used by the enemy.

The 442nd was a he11 of a unit, more medals than any other.

GoldenBear76;842128668 said:

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The 442nd was a he11 of a unit, more medals than any other.

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Besides climbing Mount Folgorito, the other highlight of the tour for me was meeting the gracious residents of the towns liberated by the 100th/442nd. I will never forget what the mayor of a small town called Tendola which was liberated by American soldiers in late April, 1945 told me: "My grandfather was a teenager when our town was liberated. He was told the Americans were coming, but he didn't know what an American looked like. The first troops entering the town were members of the 100th/442nd so my grandfather thought all Americans were Asians. Then the next group of soldiers entering the town were from the 92nd Division which was the all-Black outfit, so my grandfather concluded that all Americans were non-white, only Asians and Blacks." The mayor apologized for his grandfather by saying that he was a simple man, but I told the Mayor that his grandfather captured the essence of being an American, that it had nothing to do with one's skin color but was a matter of heart and mind.

Thanks to all for reading this thread.

SanseiBear;842128702 said:

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Besides climbing Mount Folgorito, the other highlight of the tour for me was meeting the gracious residents of the towns liberated by the 100th/442nd. I will never forget what the mayor of a small town called Tendola which was liberated by American soldiers in late April, 1945 told me: "My grandfather was a teenager when our town was liberated. He was told the Americans were coming, but he didn't know what an American looked like. The first troops entering the town were members of the 100th/442nd so my grandfather thought all Americans were Asians. Then the next group of soldiers entering the town were from the 92nd Division which was the all-Black outfit, so my grandfather concluded that all Americans were non-white, only Asians and Blacks." The mayor apologized for his grandfather by saying that he was a simple man, but I told the Mayor that his grandfather captured the essence of being an American, that it had nothing to do with one's skin color but was a matter of heart and mind.

Thanks to all for reading this thread.

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Thanks for sharing

Great story, Sansei.

Inspiring stuff! Thanks, Sansei!

GoldenBear76;842128668 said:

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The 442nd was a he11 of a unit, more medals than any other.

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The 442nd was also the unit with the least amount of desertions in World War 2........zero!

SanseiBear;842128702 said:

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Besides climbing Mount Folgorito, the other highlight of the tour for me was meeting the gracious residents of the towns liberated by the 100th/442nd. I will never forget what the mayor of a small town called Tendola which was liberated by American soldiers in late April, 1945 told me: "My grandfather was a teenager when our town was liberated. He was told the Americans were coming, but he didn't know what an American looked like. The first troops entering the town were members of the 100th/442nd so my grandfather thought all Americans were Asians. Then the next group of soldiers entering the town were from the 92nd Division which was the all-Black outfit, so my grandfather concluded that all Americans were non-white, only Asians and Blacks." The mayor apologized for his grandfather by saying that he was a simple man, but I told the Mayor that his grandfather captured the essence of being an American, that it had nothing to do with one's skin color but was a matter of heart and mind.

Thanks to all for reading this thread.

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No, thank *you* for posting it!! A story I'll remember for sure.

Great story and post, Sansei

SanseiBear,

Thanks so much for sharing this, it means a lot. We had a 442d Speaker at our "Asian Pacific Islander" celebration last month here at Fort Irwin but I could not make the event that day. They made history during some tough times, a Great Generation.

Go for Broke,

Nick

SanseiBear;842128702 said:

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Besides climbing Mount Folgorito, the other highlight of the tour for me was meeting the gracious residents of the towns liberated by the 100th/442nd. I will never forget what the mayor of a small town called Tendola which was liberated by American soldiers in late April, 1945 told me: "My grandfather was a teenager when our town was liberated. He was told the Americans were coming, but he didn't know what an American looked like. The first troops entering the town were members of the 100th/442nd so my grandfather thought all Americans were Asians. Then the next group of soldiers entering the town were from the 92nd Division which was the all-Black outfit, so my grandfather concluded that all Americans were non-white, only Asians and Blacks." The mayor apologized for his grandfather by saying that he was a simple man, but I told the Mayor that his grandfather captured the essence of being an American, that it had nothing to do with one's skin color but was a matter of heart and mind.

Thanks to all for reading this thread.

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