The Go For Broke Forever stamp is a 2021 USPS commemorative honoring the Japanese American soldiers who served in the U.S. Army during World War II. USPS issued it on June 3, 2021, in Los Angeles in a pane of 20.
Go For Broke stamp facts
| Official name | Go for Broke: Japanese American Soldiers of WWII |
|---|---|
| Issue date and city | June 3, 2021; Los Angeles, California |
| USPS item | 480500 |
| Format | Pane of 20, one vertical design |
| Designer and art director | Antonio Alcalá |
| Printing | Intaglio and offset |
| Print quantity | 20 million stamps |
Who the stamp honors
“Go for Broke” was the motto of the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team. USPS used the phrase more broadly to recognize approximately 33,000 Japanese Americans who served in the U.S. Army during World War II, including Nisei who worked in the Military Intelligence Service and other units.
The story carries a difficult historical boundary: many Japanese Americans faced prejudice and incarceration during the war even while they or their relatives served the United States. The stamp honors military contribution; it is not a portrait of one named soldier.
What the design shows
The design is based on a 1944 photograph of a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team at a railroad station in France. Antonio Alcalá created an engraving-like treatment, and USPS printed the stamp using intaglio with offset. Red and blue typography runs vertically, echoing a traditional direction of Japanese writing without turning the issue into a decorative stereotype.
Can the stamp still be used?
Yes. A genuine, unused and undamaged Go For Broke stamp is a domestic Forever stamp and pays the current First-Class Mail one-ounce letter rate. More postage is required when weight, dimensions, shape, nonmachinability or added services raise the price.
How to identify a full pane
- The pane contains 20 stamps in one design.
- The header reads “Go for Broke Japanese American Soldiers of World War II.”
- The stamp is vertical and uses a red-and-blue engraved appearance.
- The reverse carries the USPS item barcode 480500 and promotional text.
Browse related subjects in our military Forever stamps guide.
Official sources
The USPS stamp announcement documents the issue date, format, printing method and production specifications. The USPS dedication release supplies the historical context and design explanation.
Issue facts checked September 2, 2026.