SACRAMENTO — It’s been more than 70 years since Pfc. Noboru Kagawa enlisted in the U.S. Army to fight in World War II. This Saturday, Feb. 11, he will finally be awarded the Bronze Star Medal (BSM) for serving with the 100th Battalion’s Alpha Company, part of the renowned 442nd Regimental Combat Team, in the European Theater.
The commanding general of the California National Guard, Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, will present the BSM during an invitation-only ceremony at 6 p.m. at the New Gardena Hotel, 1641 W. Redondo Beach Blvd., Gardena.
Kagawa and his fellow Company A soldiers engaged enemy forces on the Franco-Italian border on Nov. 28, 1944 and remained there through March, 24, 1945 as they relieved the now disbanded 1st Special Service Force.
The 442nd is one of the most decorated Army units in U.S. military history for its size and length of service. Its 100th Battalion is known as the “Purple Heart Brigade.” The Nisei soldiers defended the U.S. despite the fact that the government had categorized them as enemy aliens.