Product Description

In June 1944, twenty-seven-year-old combat infantry chaplain Israel Yost arrived in Italy with the 100th Battalion, a little-known National Guard unit of mostly Japanese Americans from Hawai'i. Yost was apprehensive when he learned of his assignment to this unusual unit composed of soldiers with whom he felt he had little in common and who were mostly Buddhists. But this would soon change. For the next nine months at the front - from Salerno to Monte Cassino to Anzio to Bruyeres - Yost assisted medics, retrieved bodies from the battlefield, buried enemy soldiers, struggled to bolster morale as the number of casualties rose higher and higher, and wrote countless letters of condolence, all in addition to fulfilling his ministerial duties, which included preaching in the foxholes. Although his sermons won few converts, Yost's tireless energy and concern for others earned him admiration from his fellow soldiers, who often turned to him as a trusted friend and spiritual advisor. Forty years after the war had ended, with the help of his field diaries and the letters he had written almost daily to his wife, Yost wrote of his wartime experiences in the hopes that they might one day be published as a record of the remarkable character and accomplishments of the 100th. "Combat Chaplain" presents this heartfelt memoir intact with the addition of photographs and subsequent letters and speeches by Yost and other veterans.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1319496 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 308 pages

From the Back Cover
"Israel Yost was a man of faith who was also a man of courage and hope. His memoir is a testament to his humanity, his integrity, and his unwavering support of Japanese American soldiers who were not only fighting the enemy abroad, but also social injustice at home. His personal account of his two years with the 100th Battalion provides the unique perspective of a military chaplain who begins with no experience or understanding of Japanese Americans, but who quickly forms an unbreakable bond with the Nisei soldiers he served." —Daniel K. Inouye, U.S. Senator

Customer Reviews

An Entirely Different View of European Combat
Our present day army has only a relatively few divisions when compared to the 99 divisions it had at the end of World War II. As it has gotten deactivated divisions, it has retained the divisions that hold the highest honor. The 1st Division and the 29th Division went into Omaha on D-Day; they are still Army divisions.

The 100th Battalion of the 442 still exists.

The 100th entered combat with 1,432 men. Its nickname was 'Go For Broke.' It alsoearned the nickname 'Purple Heart Battalion' as it was depleted down to 521 men by 1944.

This book is by the chaplain of the 100th. It is based on letters that he wrote home, the journal he kept while in Europe and comments from members of his family and of the 100th. It was put together by Rev. Yost and was been prepared for more formal publication by his daughter after his death. It's a very worthwhile book, presenting an entirely different view that that usually seen by soldiers or commanders.

If you can read the appendix, which is a memorial speech he gave at a reunion of the 100th without tearing up, you have no soul.

To go with this book, I recommend the old Van Johnson movie 'Go For Broke.'

Combat Chaplain
Out of curiosity, I purchased this book to gain insight into how a Chaplain of the Christian faith would interface with the men of the infamous Japanese American 100th Battalion, many who were of the Buddhist faith. While one story from one Chaplain, I was impressed with the multiple duties carried out by Chaplain Yost and the bonding that seemed to prevail between he and the men that he served. Despite the risks, he undertook serving his fellow men on both sides of the conflict.
Bruce W. Anderson, Niles, MI

Second World War
This is the greatest book. The Chaplain who lived this experience was very brave, caring and brilliant.