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Rare original World War II-era 15.75 x 20 poster encouraging enlistment in the 442nd Infantry Regiment, featuring a design by Robert M. Jones that pictures a Japanese American soldier set to throw a grenade, positioned against a pink background between upper and lower text, “It’s My Right to Fight for America.” Produced for distribution in Hawaii in 1944, the poster was designed to recruit Japanese Americans into military service during the war, appealing to patriotism amid a fraught and discriminatory national climate. Rolled and in fine condition, with a central horizontal fold.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the issuance of Executive Order 9066, more than 127,000 Japanese American citizens were forcibly placed into internment camps on the mainland, while those in Hawaii, where a large percentage of the population was of Japanese descent, faced intense pressure to assimilate and serve. Posters such as this sought to drive enlistment among these communities, positioning military service as both duty and demonstration of loyalty.
The 442nd Infantry Regiment, composed primarily of second-generation Japanese American soldiers (‘Nisei’), would become the most highly decorated unit of its size in United States military history. Formed in 1944, it initially drew approximately 2,700 soldiers from Hawaii and 1,500 from mainland internment camps, eventually growing to roughly 12,000 men. Its members were collectively awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, along with more than 4,000 Purple Hearts and 4,000 Bronze Star Medals in recognition of their extraordinary service and sacrifice.
The artist, Robert M. Jones (1913-1994), was an American graphic designer, printmaker, and illustrator who contributed to wartime visual campaigns for the U.S. government. He later served as art director for Columbia Records from 1945 to 1953, succeeding Alex Steinweiss, and continued his career with RCA Victor and other labels. Over the course of his career, he received six Grammy Awards for his record cover designs.
