NOW Live from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

For Country: Japanese American Soldiers and Citizens & the 70th Anniversary of Executive Order 9066

Update March 5, 2012 – This event has passed. For a full recap, click here.

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program is honored to host Secretary of Veterans Affairs General Eric Shinseki.  This year marks 70 years since the signing of Executive Order 9066, the action that led to the internment of more than 110,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.  However, this year also celebrates the formation of heroic Japanese American World War II military units such as the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and sections of the Military Intelligence Service.

Learn more about this period in American history through objects, veterans, speakers, and film. Learn about the Congressional Gold Medal (pictured above) awarded to Japanese Americans who served in World War II. Join us for an afternoon of reflection and hear amazing stories about perseverance and service.

Schedule

2:00 p.m.	For Country A keynote address by Secretary of Veterans Affairs, General Eric Shinseki
2:30 — 3:30 p.m.	Congressional Gold Medal Presentation by the U.S. Mint
3:00 p.m.	Remembering Voices: Executive Order 9066 & Japanese American WWII Veterans Screening, panel discussion, and Q&A featuring veterans and historians. Panelists: Grant Ichikawa, MIS veteran; Gerald Yamada, Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA) president; Christine Sato-Yamazaki Chairperson, National Veteran Network; and Doug Sterner, historian/author; moderator: Franklin Odo, historian.
4:15 p.m.	Book Signing by Panel Participants LeFrak Lobby, near Warner Bros. Theater entrance
2 — 4 p.m.	Educational Carts LeFrak Lobby, near Warner Bros. Theater entrance

Parking info:
Please click here to download a PDF for more details on where to park at the Smithsonian.

Closest Metro:
Federal Triangle and Smithsonian.

Sponsored by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program, National Museum of American History, National Japanese American Memorial Foundation, Japanese American Veterans Association, and the Japanese American Citizens League.

Travel support provided by Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines is proud to be the official airline of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program.

Related Links:

• View this event on the National Museum of American History calendar
• Click here to view the 2011 event
• More about the Congressional Gold Medal
• Gold Medal event recaps
• American History’s Talk Back Tuesday – 70th anniversary of Executive Order 9066
• Photos of this event on Flickr

Related Blogs:

• Day of Remembrance: 70 Years After Executive Order 9066
  Written by one of our interns for American History’s O Say Can You See blog, this entry features photos of Asian Pacific American WWII artifacts.
• A Day of Remembrance
  A recap of the day of events written by Sarah Emerson, a fellow in the Office of Public Affairs.

Related Podcast: History Explorer: Japanese American Internment and WWII Service
Listen to the Podcast (MP3 file)
View more photos

Curatorial assistant Noriko Sanefuji interviews Grant Ichikawa, a U.S. veteran who enlisted after being relocated to a Japanese American internment camp with his family in 1942. Allowed to join the army after a need for interpreters, Mr. Ichikawa served the country proudly. In 2011, he and other veterans were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his service.