Logline & Synopsis

Act 1 opens with archival footage on the deck of a Japanese aircraft carrier in the throes of World War II. Pilots prepare their planes — checking bombs and running last-minute inspections with a quiet intensity. This is the calm before the storm.

Moments later, the fleet of aircraft lifts into the sky, soaring over the Pacific. A monotonous flat ocean gives way to a flyover of Oahu, and then, without warning, the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor. Through the eyes of a Japanese Zero pilot, a diving attack begins with tracer fire ripping toward U.S. aircraft on a runway below and a hangar beyond.

On the ground, two unsuspecting Americans of Japanese Ancestry (“AJA”) soldiers are going about their routine in the hangar, driving a jeep and joking. They pause at the hangar doors, puzzled by the silhouette of an approaching plane. Confusion turns to terror as the aircraft opens fire. The soldiers dive for cover as a hailstorm of bullets tear through high windows above and a sudden far away explosion engulfs the scene.

The blast wipes the frame to white — blinding, overwhelming. As the scene comes back to consciousness, it becomes clear we’re no longer in 1941. We’re in the present day.

A higher viewpoint, perhaps from departing souls, regains focus with particulate matter, dust and smoke revealing beams of light from the flight path of bullet holes in the hangar windows. The beams of light are traced down to a colorful array of military unit flags on poles and stands at a solemn ceremony. An officer stands at a podium, speaking with reverence about December 7th, 1941 and AJA soldiers who answered their country’s betrayal and prejudice with loyalty, courage, and valor, ending with, “…known as the 442nd Regimental Combat Team which included the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, the 232nd Combat Engineer Company, 2nd and 3rd Infantry Battalions, Anti-Tank Company, Cannon Company, Service Company, medical detachment, the 206th Army Ground Forces Band and of course, the 100th Infantry Battalion.” As the speech ends, filmʻs logo pulls forward to camera from the backdrop image upstage of the officer to take over the screen signaturing as the filmʻs title. 

Descendants of 100th, 442nd and 522nd veterans begin walking the Map, placing commemorative medallions of their respective loved ones, one medallion per soldier at a meaningful location on the map such as where Killed in Action (KIA), the furthest place reached in the campaign or a place where the soldier shared Aloha along the way. Each medallion is personalized with the soldier’s name and location of placement with a minimum of 716 medallions representing all 100th and 442nd KIAs placed by volunteers plus additional medallions by representatives of surviving soldiers. The hangar event also serves as a primary interview location (with Map activity defocused in the background).

Act 2 uses the Map to segue to Map Day interviews, archival material and modern-day interviews on a tour that begins in Salerno and follows the entire 100th and 442nd campaign through Italy and France including the 522ndʻs separate tour through Germany to the end of the war. Key sites along the journey including the brutal “Battle of Rapido,” to the fierce standoff at Monte Cassino (where the 100th became known as “The Purple Heart Battalion”), to the battles of Bruyeres and Biffontaine, to the daring rescue of the “Lost Battalion” in France, to the “Champagne Campaign” in France, to the breaking of the Gothic Line and the 522ndʻs liberation of Dachau Concentration Camps and Death March survivors. Finally, the liberation of Aulla, Italy where on April 25, 1945, 100th/442nd soldiers fought side-by-side with the Italian Resistance to win freedom on the final day of WW2 battles.

Each stop along the tour features present-day explorations lead by questor Steve Sue (“Shaka Steve” from the film, Shaka, A Story of Aloha) who explores the history of battle locations, collects wartime stories from locals, and introduces stories of 100th and 442nd veterans’ global post-war achievements to locals – introductions that segue to interview and archival content that bring to life veterans’ 80+ years of legacy works. Such post-war legacy stories include the 1948 “Pigs from the Sea” famine relief program to Okinawa, facilitating Japanʻs 1952 re-entry into the Olympics, the creation of veterans survive clubs, helping to create Hawaiʻi Statehood, creating businesses to help AJA citizens, and other contributions around the world. Each town visited also centers on a single positive trait or value such as Giri (duty, obligation), Ganbari (do your best), Ganbatte (perseverance), Gaman (endurance), Sekinin (responsibility), Chugi (loyalty), Club 100ʻs motto “For Continuing Service” and Aloha to create teaching moments for educational use.

In Act 3, the viewer’s perspective on the Map zooms up to a stratospheric altitude to see a global tally of over 60 million military and civilian deaths, punctuating the staggering scale of World War II losses. Then, in stark contrast, a final layer overwrites the Map, beginning with 100th and 442nd monument location icons, then regional areas positively affected by the legacy stories from Act 2, all of which transform the Map into a rainbow of positivity rising from the ashes of war. 

The final scene is a celebratory outdoor gathering around a vineyard table in Aulla, Italy, near the site of the last battle at which locals from along the tour – Italians, French, Germans and Americans – share food, wine and song. The scene makes the concepts of forgiving, Aloha, love and ohana (family) visible. The 100TH is more than just a tale of war. It is a call to honor the heroism of 100th and 442nd veterans, appreciate the 80+ years of positive legacy they’ve built, celebrate the global ohana (family) they helped create, and inspire viewers to carry forward a mission of building a global paradise for all.

End Credits include an In Memory section to honor deceased interviewees, behind-the-scenes in-the-making clips and bloopers, and Hawaiʻi gifts given to locations visited to commemorate peace, hope, connection and the Spirit of Aloha.