Traveling Exhibition “I Am An American: The Nisei Soldier Experience” to Come to Chicago
“I Am An American” sign installed by Tatsuro Masuda in his storefront. (Photo from Christine Sato-Yamazaki’s presentation)
Titled and themed as “I Am An American: The Nisei Soldier Experience”, the National Veterans Network (NVN) has announced to hold Nisei Soldier Traveling Exhibition scheduled to begin in 2026.
The Traveling Exhibition will feature objects and stories based on the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and the Military Intelligence Service to prove their loyalty and patriotism amid prejudice and discrimination after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
The exhibition also includes the 120,000 Japanese Americans who were forcibly relocated into 10 War Relocation Authority incarceration camps.
An introductory event of the Traveling Exhibition was held at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago on May 3, and General (Ret) Eric K. Shinseki; Major General (Ret) James H. Mukoyama, Jr.; Colonel (Ret) Jennifer N. Pritzker; Tammy Call, the National Museum of the U.S. Army; Christine Sato-Yamazaki, the National Veterans Network; Paul Morando, the National Museum of the U.S. Army; Howard Hieshima, U.S. Army Veteran and former commander of the Chicago Nisei Post attended and talked about the Nisei Soldiers and the exhibition.
Enoch Kanaya, a member of the 442nd, and Mas Menda, a member of MIS, both 98 years old, attended. Deputy Consul General Naoya Kishi and many community members from Japanese and Japanese American organizations also attended.
In his welcome and opening remarks, Major General (Ret) James H. Mukoyama said, “I am an American of Japanese ancestry who has been inheritor of the proud legacy of honorable patriotism established by World War II Nisei veterans. The purpose of tonight activity is to inform you of the special Traveling Exhibition highlighted historical context of the accomplishment of the Japanese Americans and its process for the future generations,” and he moved on to introduce the speakers and guests in attendance.
Illinois National Guard Colonel (Ret) Jennifer N. Pritzker, founder of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library where the Traveling Exhibition will be held in Chicago, said that the exhibition was critically important to recognize 33,000 Nisei patriots, who proved their courage and loyalty through their services while their family members were incarcerated in internment camps. She also said that Nisei troop in MIS translated important documents, interpreted and questioned captured Japanese soldiers, and then took care of them.
The National Museum of the U.S. Army in Washington D.C. has already been exhibiting Nisei Soldiers’ stories and artifacts which focuses their contributions to World War II and highlights Congressional Gold Medal. The Museum will expand its venue from 800 to 1,200 square feet for the Traveling Exhibition and bring in more unknown stories and amazing artifacts.
Indeed Tammy Call of the museum and other project members had made a series of community visits from Hawaii to west coast to east coast for several years to collect Nisei soldiers’ stories and objects. They also visited archive of the Japanese American Service Committee. As the result, they found extensive artifacts and so many unknown stories of Nisei soldiers. Call said, “It has been our honor to bring those stories to the public.”
Christine Sato-Yamazaki of VNV talked about the Traveling Exhibition “I Am An American: The Nisei Soldier Experience.”
According to Yamazaki, the sign of “I Am An American” was installed by Tatsuro Masuda just one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Masuda, who was born and raised in Auckland, California, put the sign in front of his store to announce to the public that he and his family were not enemies, but they were Americans just like everyone else.
Despite Masuda’s quick reaction, the Masudas were incarcerated at Gila River internment camp in Arizona.
Yamazaki said, “This theme ‘I Am An American’ represents the purpose that Nisei were trying to demonstrate that they were Americans, born and raised in the U.S., and having the same belief on the Constitution and the democratic principles.”
An original “I Am An American” sign will serve as the centerpiece and focal point for the Traveling Exhibition.
Nisei Soldiers at the forefront of World War II
General (Ret) Eric K. Shinseki
General (Ret) Eric K. Shinseki thanked NVN and collaborating organizations for illuminating achievements of the Nisei soldiers.
Shinseki said, “Following the sudden attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese American persons here in the U.S. were attacked.” Japanese Americans were hit by anger, suspicion, paranoia, injustice and discrimination which arose in the mind of ordinary Americans from the shock, but loyalty, devotion, courage, determination, patriotism, sacrifice and heroism emerged in the soul of Nisei soldiers.
Today, the 100th /442nd Regimental Combat Team is the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of the U.S. Military. The unit, totaling about 18,000 men, received 21 Medals of Honor, 29 Distinguished Service Crosses, 588 Citation for Silver Stars, 5,200 Citation for Bronze Stars, 36 Army Commendation Medals, 4,000 Purple Hearts, 7 Presidential Unit Citations, and Congressional Gold Medal for entire unit and Nisei in MIS.
In the MIS, individual award was not announced or unknown because MIS was classified unit, but it received eight Presidential Unit Citations.
Nisei soldiers (Photo from Christine Sato-Yamazaki’s presentation)
The 100th Infantry Battalion was activated in June, 1942 and sent to the mainland due to Japanese ancestry. About 1,400 of Hawaiian Nisei soldiers were trained at Camp McCoy (WI) and Camp Shelby (Miss) and deployed to the toughest battlefields in Italy in August, 1943.
Shinseki said, “If they didn’t work, I’m not sure that you would see the 442nd.”
In the mainland, followed by signing Executive Order 9066 by the President of the U.S. authorizing evacuation of 120,000 Japanese, 65 to 66% of them were U.S. citizens, Japanese Americans were forced to leave their homes and businesses, stripped their U.S. citizenship, labeled as enemy aliens, and then imprisoned into incarceration camps. Shinseki sarcastically said, “Their climes? Abetting attack on Pearl Harbor.”
In that circumstance, Mas Menda and Enoch Kanaya enlisted in the U.S. Army from internment camp.
From left: Enoch Kanaya, Mas Menda and his wife
Mas Menda was born in 1925 and raised in Sacramento, California. He was sent to Tule Lake internment camp in June, 1942 when he was senior in high school, and then moved to Amache in Colorado. He joined MIS in 1943.
Enoch Kanaya was born in 1925 and raised in Oregon. He was incarcerated into Minedoka camp in southern Idaho. He registered for draft in 1943 and was assigned to Company F in the 442nd after received training.
The 100th Infantry Battalion had training from June 1942 to May 1943, and then it was deployed to Italy in August, 10 months ahead of the 442nd, and fought in the front line.
On the other hand, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team had training from May 1943 to April 1944, and then it was deployed to Europe on April 22. They arrived in Italy in June in the same year and fought with the 100th at the forefront. During their training, many Nisei soldiers were sent to Italy as replenishments of the 100th.
The 100th was attached to the 442nd by August, 1944, and then the 442nd was sent to southern Franc in September. The 442nd liberated many towns there and was ordered in the late October to rescue the 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry, which was cut off by German forces in the Vosges Mountains. It was the bloodiest battlefield, but the 442nd successfully rescued the Lost Battalion on October 30. At this point, 800 soldiers in the 442nd were seriously wounded and 43 were missing.
The 442nd returned to Italy in April, 1945 and was ordered to break the Gothic Line where German force had constructed a line of forts on the top of steep cliff, 3000 feet above the ground. After nine months of deadlock between the U.S. Army and German forces at the Gothic Line, the 442nd, including Enoch Kanaya, climbed up the steep cliff for eight hours in the dark, they destroyed German forts only in 30 minutes by a surprise attack in the morning. The German forces surrendered in the early May.
Shinseki said, “They did the best level of service.”
Locations of the Traveling Exhibition
Paul Marando
According to Paul Morando of the National Museum of the U.S. Army, the locations of the Traveling Exhibition are:
1. Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, CA)
2. MIS Historic Learning Center at Presidio (San Francisco, CA)
3. Oregon Historical Society (Portland, OR)
4. Hawaii
5. Heart Mountain Relocation Center (Park County, WY)
6. Pritzker Military Museum & Library (Chicago, IL)
7. Historic Ft. Snelling (Minnesota Historical Society)
8. National Medal of Honor Museum (Arlington, TX)
9. National World War II Museum (New Orleans, LA)
10. National Infantry Museum (Fort Benning, GA)
11. West Point Museum (West Point, NY)
Howard Hieshima
In his closing remarks, former Nisei Post Commander Howard Hieshima thanked NVN, National Museum of the U.S. Army and Army Historical Foundation for actualizing the Nisei Soldier Traveling Exhibition and called for local fundraising efforts to collect donations over $25,000 while NVN works on fundraising at national level.
Making donations are available through website:
About National Veterans Network (NVN)
NVN’s mission is to educate current and future generations about the extraordinary legacy of American WWII soldiers of Japanese ancestry in order to promote equality and justice. In 2010, the organization launched a national campaign to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 100th, 442nd and MIS units, and worked with Congress and U.S. Mint to design the medal.
In 2012, the organization partnered with the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service for a seven-city tour to promote recognition of the Nisei Soldier Congressional Gold Medal.
In 2016, along with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, NVN launched an online Digital Exhibition to share the story of Japanese American soldiers of WWII.
From 2017-2020, NVN worked with the National Museum of the U.S. Army to gather artifacts from Japanese American WWII soldiers and their families that resulted in a special exhibit dedicated to Japanese American WWII soldiers.
In 2020, the NVN in collaboration with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center to develop elementary and middle school curriculum, lessons, and activities.
The NVN continues to honor the American WWII soldiers of Japanese ancestry by promoting, protecting, and preserving their legacy of uncommon valor and selfless service for future generations.
The NVN’s website: www.nationalveteransnetwork.com.