National Veterans Network Awarded Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant For Nisei Soldier Traveling Exhibition

The National Veterans Network (NVN) has been awarded a $348,867 grant from the Department of Interior National Park Service Japanese American Confinement Sites (NPS JACS) grant program that will help fund the “I Am An American: the Nisei Soldier Experience,” an 11-city traveling exhibition about the Japanese American World War II soldiers.

“We are grateful to receive the grant from the National Park Service, which will help the NVN, the National Museum of the United States Army and Army Historical Foundation as we work together to develop this special traveling exhibition over the next two years,” said Christine Sato-Yamazaki, executive director at NVN. “This traveling exhibition will feature artifacts and stories of 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service and U.S. Army soldiers who fought in the service of the United States to demonstrate their loyalty and patriotism at a time when they were discriminated against based on their ancestry.”

The grant will enable the NVN, AHF and the Museum to begin working on the content and overall design of the traveling exhibition. Based on the current Nisei Soldier Experience special exhibit at the National Army Museum, the traveling exhibit will expand to 1,200 with approximately 35 significant historical objects, 50-75 images and three audio-visual kiosks with 10 individual soldier stories and an interactive map of the European and Pacific Campaign comprised of 16 campaign videos.

“We are proud to be developing the National Army Museum’s first traveling exhibition, and we look forward to working with NVN to bring this powerful American story to the public, especially those who are learning about this significant piece of our history for the first time” said Tammy Call, director of the National Museum of the United States Army.

The theme of the traveling exhibition “I Am An American” is based on the historical photo taken on December 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor, when Tatsuro Masuda installed an “I Am An American” sign on his storefront in Oakland, CA.  The exhibit will highlight the military service of the Nisei Soldiers from the perspective of the men and women who fought for democracy overseas, while they simultaneously fought a war against prejudice at home. The exhibit will include nisei objects from the islands of Hawaii to the mainland U.S., including the Nisei Soldiers who enlisted out of the 10 War Relocation Authority (WRA) incarceration camps.

The traveling exhibit will travel to 11 cities across the United States starting in 2026 for five years.  It is scheduled to be hosted in the following states: California (Los Angeles and San Francisco), Oregon, Hawaii, Wyoming, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Louisiana and New York. Although the grant will help with a portion of the traveling exhibit costs, there is still a significant amount that needs to be raised for the exhibit to travel to all 11 cities.

The National Veterans Network and the Army Historical Foundation will launch a national fundraising campaign this year to raise the remaining funds for the traveling exhibit. Sponsorship opportunities for national recognition will be announced by the two organizations.

NVN will continue to work on initiatives to preserve the important role Japanese American World War II Soldiers played during World War II.  To find out more about the National Veterans Network or to become a sponsor, send email to [email protected], visit www.nvnvets.org, or follow the NVN on Instagram (NationalVeteransNetwork) Facebook (@NationalVeteransNetwork) or Twitter (@NtlVetNetwork).

For questions regarding the JACS grant program, please contact Kara Miyagishima, Program Manager, Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program, NPS, at 303-969-2885.

About The Army Historical Foundation

The Army Historical Foundation establishes, assists, and promotes programs and projects that preserve the history of the American Soldier and promote public understanding of and appreciation for the contributions by all components of the U.S. Army and its members. The Foundation serves as the Army’s official fundraising entity for the Capital Campaign for the National Museum of the United States Army. The award-winning, LEED- certified Museum opened on November 11, 2020, at Fort Belvoir, Va., and honors the service and sacrifice of all American Soldiers who have served since the Army’s inception in 1775.  For more information on the Foundation and the National Museum of the United States Army, visit www.armyhistory.org.

About the National Museum of the United States Army

The National Museum of the United States Army provides the only comprehensive portrayal of Army history and traditions through the eyes of the American Soldier. By preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting invaluable artifacts, the National Army Museum creates learning opportunities for all visitors and bonds the American people to their oldest military service. We are America’s Army Museum.

The U.S. Army owns and operates the Museum. The Army Historical Foundation continues its fundraising role in support of the Museum and manages all retail, catering and special events.

For more information on the National Museum of the United States Army visit www.theNMUSA.org.

About National Veterans Network

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. The organization launched the campaign to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the first Asian American recipients in the 100th, 442nd and MIS units, and worked with the 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 Japanese American experience. 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 (cgm.smithsonianapa.org). Beginning in 2017, 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 when the Museum’s opening in 2020 along with artifacts and information located throughout the museum. In 2020, the NVN in collaboration with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, developed elementary and middle school curriculum. 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.

Please visit us at www.nationalveteransnetwork.com, and follow the NVN on Facebook (NationalVeteransNetwork), Twitter (@NtlVetNetwork) or Instagram (nationalveteransnetwork).

Press Contact

Name: Michelle Suzuki Phone: 310-444-7115 Email: Contact Us Website: http://www.nvnvets.org