<Li> 758th Tank Battalion (Colored) </Li> <Li> 679th Tank Destroyer Battalion (Colored) </Li> <P> The 442nd Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Army and is the only infantry formation in the Army Reserve . The regiment is best known for its history as a fighting unit composed almost entirely of second - generation American soldiers of Japanese ancestry who fought in World War II . Beginning in 1944, the regiment fought primarily in Europe during World War II, in particular Italy, southern France, and Germany . </P> <P> The 442nd Regiment is the most decorated unit in the history of American warfare . The 4,000 men who initially made up the unit in April 1943 had to be replaced nearly two times . In total, about 14,000 men served, earning 9,486 Purple Hearts . The unit was awarded eight Presidential Unit Citations (five earned in one month). Twenty - one of its members were awarded Medals of Honor . Its motto was "Go for Broke". </P>

What kind of soldiers compromised the highly decorated 442nd regimental combat team