Their history, our history. The history of the Nisei soldiers is integral to the history of all Americans, regardless of ethnicity. The sacrifices these young men made during wartime – even as their fellow soldiers and their nation doubted them – are measured by the freedoms they earned for all of us today.

This history begins on December 7, 1941, when Japan raided US Naval Base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The surprise attack nearly destroyed the Pacific fleet and thrust America into World War II. But it also intensified the anti-Japanese feelings of the American public.