As a nice counterpoint to the story of Frank Emi, you may be interested to read about the very different wartime experience of another Japanese American, Daniel Inouye. There's an excellent obituary here, too.

A second generation Japanese American, Inouye was born in Hawaii and attending university there at the time of Pearl Harbour. He signed up for the US army immediately after the ban on Japanese Americans was lifted. He was part of the famous 442nd regiment, the most decorated regiment in US army history, and composed almost entirely of Japanese Americans.

Inouye was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. His most famous battle was in Italy in 1945. He was running towards a German position, with a live grenade in his hand. Just as he was ready to throw, a German grenade hit him and almost entirely severed his throwing arm. Using his other hand, Inouye freed the grenade from the clenched fist of his useless throwing arm, and managed to throw it through the bunker window before it went off. Unbelievably, he continued the attack, killing another German before eventually passing out.

Apologies if everyone is already well aware of his story, as he was a very prominent politician, played a role in the Watergate investigation and chaired the Iran-Contra hearings, and towards the end of his life became president pro tempore of the Senate, and so third in line in the presidential succession - I am not American, so it was new to me.

If you're interested, there's a slightly irreverent but informative and entertaining brief look at both of their lives in the Drunk History TV programme: Frank Emi and Daniel Inouye.