Odo, Franklin
The 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) was a racially segregated U.S. Army unit comprised of Americans of Japanese ancestry (AJA) from Hawaii, except for Caucasian officers. The unit's outstanding training records and demonstrated loyalty lifted the "4-C Unsuitable for Service" classification for other AJA and led to the formation of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, who later joined the 100th overseas. These American soldiers, simultaneously fighting the Axis Powers overseas and racism at home, are survived by their descendants, The Sons & Daughters, who work to share their parents' stories. This collection is made possible by 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans, formerly known as Club 100, and consists of donations made by veterans' Bernard Akamine and Ray Nosaka's children, Drusilla Tanaka and Ann Kabasawa, respectively, as well as by IU Kokomo faculty and students who visited Club 100 on class trips in 2006, 2008, and 2014.