Voices of the 100th Infantry Battalion Preserved in Turner Letter Collection at Hawaiʻi State Archives
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We extend our sincere gratitude to the Hawaiʻi State Archives for accepting the historic letters written by soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion to their first commanding officer, LTC Farrant L. Turner. We deeply appreciate their partnership in preserving and sharing the significance of the Turner letters and the enduring legacy of the 100th Infantry Battalion. The original letters to LTC Turner were donated by the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans (Club 100) to the Hawaiʻi State Archives, a division of the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS), during an official handoff ceremony on March 20, 2026. A formal ceremony marking the transfer of ownership was held on March 20, 2026, at the Hawaiʻi State Archives.
Speakers included Club 100 President Kathi Hayashi, State Archivist Dr. Adam Jansen, and Jay O. "Jot" Turner and Rev. David Baumgart Turner, grandsons of Lt. Colonel Farrant L. Turner. Also in attendance were members of the Club 100 Board of Directors and Hawaiʻi State Archives staff.
Jot Turner, grandson of LTC Turner, expressed his support for the donation, stating:
“Today, these letters become a treasure for the State of Hawaiʻi. They are primary sources written from tents on the ground in Italy and France, sharing day-to-day experiences of the 100th Battalion soldiers. They reflect aspirations, dreams, and a deep pride in serving as Americans defending our nation. They remind us that we are all Americans, regardless of our ethnicity.”
State Archivist Dr. Adam Jansen emphasized the historical importance of the collection and thanked Club 100 for entrusting the State Archives with its care:
“For being such a small volume, this is a monumental piece of Hawaiʻi’s history that must never be forgotten.”
He pointed to the letters and continued:
“This is what it means to be an American. We will preserve their voices from now until the end of time so that people everywhere can learn what it means to be true, to be faithful, and to uphold honor, dignity, and integrity in the face of unimaginable opposition—both at home and abroad.”
During the ceremony, Dr. Jansen also surprised attendees by announcing that he is allowed one submission to the America250 initiative, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States — and that the Turner letters will be his official submission. He explained that the initiative seeks to answer the question, “What does it mean to be America?” and shared:
“THIS is our contribution. Honor. Duty. Sacrifice. Patriotism. THIS is what it means to be an American.”
Club 100 felt that these letters to LTC Farrant Turner should be housed with the Hawaiʻi State Archives, under the careful watch of Dr. Jansen, to ensure their long-term preservation in a secure, climate-controlled environment, where irreplaceable records of Hawaiʻi’s history are protected and accessible to future generations.
By entrusting the Archives, we hope these letters will reach a wider audience and share their profound “mana” — the spiritual energy carried through each handwritten word. They will feel the love and trust between a Caucasian commanding officer and his soldiers of Japanese ancestry, and how the 100th fought against tyranny and proved loyal Americans come in all colors and deserve equal rights.
Letters to Lt. Col. Farrant L. Turner:
View the Turner Letter collection, housed on our 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans Education Center website, consisting of 111 letters written to LTC Farrant L. Turner in 1944 and 1945. Most of these letters were written by 100th Infantry Battalion officers and enlisted men who had been under his command.
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