More than 60 years ago, while training to go to the war in Europe, soldiers of the Army's 100th Infantry Battalion started donating $2 from each paycheck to build a clubhouse in Hawai'i.

"When you get to war, you stick together," Goro Sumida, 85, said. "We knew somebody was going to come home."

Sumida, a scout during the war, wore an old baseball cap adorned with battalion pins on Friday as he helped other members put together the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans' monthly newsletter at their clubhouse.

The clubhouse, the veterans will tell you, is their home away from home.

But it's also a home in need of help, and the 100th's surviving members are trying to raise as much as $40,000 to make long-overdue repairs.

The clubhouse, built in 1952 across Kamoku Street from Iolani School, has a roof that is falling apart. Members are planning a used-book and bake sale in October to raise money, and office manager Amanda Stevens is applying for grants to help the nonprofit group pay for repairs.

"The roof is leaking in the clubhouse, and as a result of that, ceiling tiles fell down," Stevens said. She noted that three ceiling panels recently fell above a couch and bookshelves, but "thankfully, no one was here."

Kept spotless by members, the clubhouse is used for meetings, classes and karaoke. The walls are covered with maps of the unit's battles and photos of nine Medal of Honor winners. Seven of them have gold stars next to their photos, signifying that they have died.

That is one of the reasons the members are fundraising today  to make sure the clubhouse remains for the battalion's last surviving member and beyond. It houses, after all, a significant part of history.

WHERE MEMORIES LIVE

In June 1942, the 1,400-member 100th Infantry Battalion was formed of men of Japanese ancestry. Because of that ancestry, the men had been subjected to hatred, degradation, insults and loss of civil rights.

They rose above the racism, forgave those who treated them unfairly and served their country with the greatest valor.

In September 1943, the battalion landed in Italy, where it fought in numerous battles over the next nine months. When the newly activated 442nd Regimental Combat Team arrived in Italy in June 1944 and joined the battle-tested 100th, they formed the legendary "Go for Broke" unit.

About 500 of the original 100th Battalion members are still alive, all in their 80s and 90s, Stevens said. The clubhouse is where they still congregate.

There have been many offers to buy the valuable property, she said. It includes a three-story apartment building next door that was built to bring in money to cover club expenses. The needed repairs, however, cost more than the rents can cover.

Drusilla Tanaka, daughter of member Bernard Akamine, 89, is on the committee to make long-range plans for the property.

"All of them want to see this place stay as it is until the last veteran dies," Tanaka said. "They don't want anything to happen that would interrupt their usage of the place. They don't want it to be improved upon, sold or leased out to another group. It's very precious to them."

After that, she said, it will be up to the veterans' sons and daughters to decide the building's fate.

Inside the hall is a glass case with rifles from the war on display. Donations for current members of the 100th Battalion now fighting in Iraq are stacked up near the front door. One wall is covered with a single slab of marble that was imported from Carrara, Italy, where the battalion fought. The memorial plaque bears the engraved names of all those who died during the wars in Europe and Korea.

Before every meeting, event or social gathering, there is a moment of silence to remember those who gave their lives for their country.

HUMBLE INHERITANCE

Denis Teraoka, 87, president of the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans, said the soldiers became very close during the war and wanted to have a place they could gather and stay in touch.

"This place makes a lot of difference," Teraoka said. "We can have all kind of activities here. We're thankful for their foresight."

Tyler Chun, 19, is a University of Hawai'i engineering student whose grandfather Jiro Arakaki was in the unit. Arakaki, who died in 1992, earned Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals.

Chun, who works part time at the center, sees a lot of his grandfather in the surviving members.

"Lots of these guys are like my grandpa," Chun said. "They act like him. They don't talk a lot. They are kind of humble and laid back."

Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com.