The Firearms Research Center recently hosted Virtual Seminar No. 20 featuring author and Top Shot Champion Chris Cheng.
Drawing from six years of research for Proven in Blood: A Novel of War, Betrayal & Belonging, Cheng examined the history of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, segregated Japanese American units whose soldiers served with extraordinary distinction during World War II while many of their families remained incarcerated under Executive Order 9066. The presentation traced their journey from incarceration and military training to combat in Italy and France.
The seminar also explored Cheng’s use of historical fiction to bring this lesser-known story to life, including the unit’s battlefield experiences, the rescue of the “Lost Battalion,” and the broader questions their service raises about citizenship, patriotism, civil rights, American identity, and contradictions of wartime America.
The full seminar is available below and in the FRC Video Library, along with all previous Virtual Seminars.