Sponsors and Credit

The Nisei Soldier Congressional Gold Medal digital exhibition has been made possible due to the generous support of:


  • The US Department of the Interior, National Park Service,
    Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program


  • California Civil Liberties Public Education Program
    through the California State Library

  • The JA Community Foundation

  • Donna Fujimoto Cole


  • Japanese American Veterans Association


  • AARP

Nisei Soldier Congressional Gold Medal Digital Exhibition Project Team:

National Veterans Network

  • Christine Sato-Yamazaki, executive director
  • Naomi Hirahara, script writer
  • Jane Nakasako, research assistant
  • Jenny Chu, program coordinator
  • June Casagrande, copy editor
  • Matthew Yamamoto, intern

Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

  • Jennifer Jones, chair of Armed Forces History Division
  • Noriko Sanefuji, assistant curator

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

  • Jeanny Kim, acting director
  • Lawrence Minh-Bui Davis, PhD, project manager
  • Adriel Luis, digital and emerging media curator
  • Hana Maruyama, multimedia producer

Night Kitchen Interactive

  • Matthew Fisher, principal
  • Bill Criswell, front-end developer
  • Mimi Cheng, content coordinator
  • Cora Johnson-Grau, content coordinator
  • Cris Iacoponi, graphic designer
  • Mark Jenkinson, creative consultant
  • Daniel Kuetemeyer, creative lead
  • Kathy McHoes, project manager
  • Lindsay McKeighan, lead designer
  • Erik Smith, lead developer
  • Valentina Miller, production lead
  • Ethan Miller, media designer
  • Lily Lauben, web developer
  • Dan Knapp, visual designer

Video production by:

  • David Ono and Jeff MacIntyre, Content Media Group
  • Hachitan Entertainment
  • Night Kitchen Interactive
  • Narration by David Ono and Tamlyn Tomita

Special thanks:

Our special thanks and gratitude to the families of the Nisei Soldiers that provided photos, letters and memorabilia for the digital exhibition

  • James McNaughton, PhD, US Army Center for Military History
  • Brig. Gen. Ron Rand, Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation
  • Konrad Ng, PhD, former director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

Congressional Gold Medal Academic and Military Advisory Council:

  • General David Bramlett
  • Shirley Higuchi, Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation
  • Lane Hirabayashi, PhD, UCLA
  • Tom Ikeda, Densho
  • Corey Johnson, Stanford University PhD candidate
  • Owen Glendening, National World War II Museum
  • Kimberly Guise, National World War II Museum
  • Akemi Kikumura-Yano, PhD, UCLA
  • Greg Kimura, PhD, Japanese American National Museum
  • James McNaughton, PhD, US Army Center of Military History
  • Secretary Norman Mineta
  • Floyd Mori, Japanese American Citizens League, Washington, DC
  • Franklin Odo, PhD, Amherst College
  • Robert Patrick, Library of Congress, Veterans History Project
  • Courtney Sato, Yale University PhD candidate
  • General Eric K. Shinseki
  • Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba
  • Selma Thomas, Watertown Productions, Inc.
  • Rosalyn Tonai, National Japanese American Historical Society
  • Helen Yoshida, Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation

National Veterans Network Advisory Board

  • Donna Fujimoto Cole
  • Howard Hieshima
  • Lynn Longfellow
  • Floyd Mori
  • Erik Soriano
  • Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba
  • Bill Takakoshi
  • Yuzo Tokita
  • Rosalyn Tonai
  • Mari Watanabe
  • Lt. Col. Michael Yaguchi