Go for Broke Lecture

A Different Kind of Courage: The Disciplinary Barrack Boys of World War II

During WWII, 21 Nisei soldiers at Fort McClellan, Alabama, were charged with insubordination and dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army. Some had been ordered, by officers with machine guns, into an airport hangar during President Roosevelt’s visit to their base at Fort Riley, Kansas. These “disciplinary barrack boys,” who chose to speak out against the discrimination they faced, were imprisoned at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for some two years. Not until after a Pentagon hearing 39 years later did the Army Board finally deem their confinement “an injustice.”

The little-known story of the disciplinary barrack boys (DB Boys) will be told by Linda Tamura, Sansei author of Nisei Soldiers Break Their Silence: Coming Home to Hood River. She will be joined by Paul Minerich, the attorney who worked on their case at the Pentagon, and Gary Itano, son of a DB Boy.

Presented in partnership with Go For Broke National Education Center.

This program is free for Museum members and free with general admission for non-members. Please purchase admission at the front desk prior to the event. RSVPs are strongly encouraged using this online form.