Nisei Soldier Traveling Exhibit event in Southern California

The National Veterans Network (NVN) held a special presentation about the National Museum of the U.S. Army’s first traveling exhibit, “I Am An American: The Nisei Soldier Experience” at El Camino College in Torrance, California. The 11-city national traveling exhibit is scheduled to launch in February 2026.

Over 300 attendees from the community were given a warm welcome from emcee, actress Tamlyn Tomita. 

• Christine Sato-Yamazaki, Executive Director of the National Veterans Network, introduced the traveling exhibit. The exhibit will highlight the Japanese American World War II Nisei soldiers who served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Military Intelligence Service. She shared artifacts from the community being displayed in the exhibit.

• General Eric K. Shinseki, Retired, 34th Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, served as the keynote speaker. Sharing how powerful the Nisei story is from a soldier’s perspective, he emphasized the importance of passing the legacy down from generation to generation.

• KABC News Anchor, David Ono, had a moving presentation on the first Japanese American Medal of Honor recipient, 442nd RCT soldier Sadao Munemori.

• Harold Payne performed “Quiet Heroes”, a song written honoring the 442nd RCT for their bravery and sacrifice during World War II. As he sang, a heartfelt slideshow played in tribute to the soldiers and veterans of all wars related to our attendees.

A huge thank you and appreciation to our sponsors, Jane Fujishige Yada, King’s Hawaiian, Alan and Sandi Kosaka, Councilmember Jon Kaji, and the South Bay Planning Committee for making this event a huge success! Thank you to the South Bay community for their warm welcome and support of the Nisei Soldier Traveling Exhibit.