Introducing: “I Am An American: The Nisei Soldier Experience”
A New Traveling Exhibit Debuting at the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center in San Francisco
On View to the Public: February 23, 2026 to August 31, 2026
Admission: $15. Free to veterans, children 12 & under, NJAHS members.
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 12pm to 5pm
“I Am An American: The Nisei Soldier Experience” is a new traveling exhibit that tells the storied history of second-generation Americans of Japanese ancestry, known as “Nisei,” who demonstrated their loyalty during World War II by enlisting to serve in the U.S. Army. In the exhibit, their service is recounted against the backdrop of fear and racial tension that inspired thousands to volunteer from Hawaii and drove the U.S. government to remove Japanese Americans and people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast to ten Wartime Relocation Authority (WRA) Incarceration Camps during the war.
Through 1,500 square feet of immersive storytelling, the exhibition showcases firsthand accounts, rare artifacts, and evocative images that reveal how the Nisei Soldiers’ service became a defining testament to courage, sacrifice, and belonging. Visitors will encounter the remarkable stories of the Nisei Soldiers who served in the European Theater as part of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team—one of the most highly decorated units in military history—and in the Pacific Theater as linguists in the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence Service
Launching this February 2026 at the MIS Historic Learning Center at the Presidio in San Francisco, this national five-year tour will travel to 11 venues across the United States. Join us for the National Opening on February 20-22, 2026, a three day event that will include the exhibit tour, Salute to Service theater event, public programs and bus transportation to the MIS Historic Center and hospitality at the Kabuki Hotel.
For more information about this exhibit’s national launch, visit nvnvets.org/exhibit.
