Last updated: March 18, 2025
Place
Nisei Veterans Committee Hall (#34)
Alabastro Photography. Courtesy of Wing Luke Museum.
Quick Facts
Location:
1212 S King St
Significance:
Also known as: Nisei Vets; NVC; NVC Hall; NVC Clubhouse
Mile: 2.19
Approximately 14,000 Nisei or second-generation Japanese Americans fought as members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II against Germany and Italy. In the Pacific, Japanese Americans served in the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) as translators and intercepted Japanese messages in support of U.S. troops.
Nisei volunteered from Hawai`i and the mainland. Most mainland Nisei volunteered from American concentration camps to fight for freedom in Europe while their friends and relatives remained imprisoned in the camps. Based on the success of the 442nd, a military draft was implemented in the camps.
Their motto was “Go for Broke.” Because they were given dangerous assignments and fought heroically, they became the most decorated unit for their size in U.S. history.
The return home from the battlefield was challenging to say the least, amidst the trauma of war and the entrenched racism and discrimination of the time. The Seattle Nisei Veterans Committee (NVC) was established on March 25, 1946 to help sustain personal relationships formed during the war. Today, the NVC is made up of veterans who served from World War II through today. This building, built in 1938 as a dojo for the Kendo Kai, was transferred to the NVC in 1951 and it has been a home for veterans, their families and the community ever since.
Video: Community Stories: Shiro Kashino
Community Stories, Seattle Channel.
Shiro Kashino, a World War II veteran who grew up in Seattle's Central District, is the subject of this animated short film drawn from the graphic novel "Fighting for America: Nisei Soldiers," written by Lawrence Matsuda and illustrated by Matt Sasaki. The film was produced in partnership with the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience and the Seattle NVC Foundation.
Video: Community Stories: An American Hero - Frank Nishimura
Community Stories, Seattle Channel.
This animated short film tells the story of World War II veteran Frank Nishimura and is based on the graphic novel "Fighting for America: Nisei Soldiers," written by Lawrence Matsuda and illustrated by Matt Sasaki. The film was produced in partnership with the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience and the Seattle NVC Foundation.
Approximately 14,000 Nisei or second-generation Japanese Americans fought as members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II against Germany and Italy. In the Pacific, Japanese Americans served in the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) as translators and intercepted Japanese messages in support of U.S. troops.
Nisei volunteered from Hawai`i and the mainland. Most mainland Nisei volunteered from American concentration camps to fight for freedom in Europe while their friends and relatives remained imprisoned in the camps. Based on the success of the 442nd, a military draft was implemented in the camps.
Their motto was “Go for Broke.” Because they were given dangerous assignments and fought heroically, they became the most decorated unit for their size in U.S. history.
The return home from the battlefield was challenging to say the least, amidst the trauma of war and the entrenched racism and discrimination of the time. The Seattle Nisei Veterans Committee (NVC) was established on March 25, 1946 to help sustain personal relationships formed during the war. Today, the NVC is made up of veterans who served from World War II through today. This building, built in 1938 as a dojo for the Kendo Kai, was transferred to the NVC in 1951 and it has been a home for veterans, their families and the community ever since.
Video: Community Stories: Shiro Kashino
Community Stories, Seattle Channel.
Shiro Kashino, a World War II veteran who grew up in Seattle's Central District, is the subject of this animated short film drawn from the graphic novel "Fighting for America: Nisei Soldiers," written by Lawrence Matsuda and illustrated by Matt Sasaki. The film was produced in partnership with the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience and the Seattle NVC Foundation.
Video: Community Stories: An American Hero - Frank Nishimura
Community Stories, Seattle Channel.
This animated short film tells the story of World War II veteran Frank Nishimura and is based on the graphic novel "Fighting for America: Nisei Soldiers," written by Lawrence Matsuda and illustrated by Matt Sasaki. The film was produced in partnership with the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience and the Seattle NVC Foundation.