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"Nisei": Japanese-American military vets (U.S.)

Last modified: 2022-10-01 by rick wyatt
Keywords: united states | nisei | japanese-american military vets |
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[Nisei flag] image located by Bill Garrison, 26 July 2022



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Introduction

"Nisei" is the most commonly used term to define Americans of Japanese ancestry [Japanese-Americans] born in the U.S. They are the sons and daughters of Japanese who immigrated to the U.S.

Briefly, during World War II, some Japanese-Americans (Nisei) joined the U.S. military, where they were used to translate Japanese documents, interrogate Japanese prisoners, and/or formed Nisei-US military units. These units fought primarily against the Germans in Europe during WWII, rather than being sent to fight their possible Japanese relatives in the Pacific -- and we didn't want them to be mistakenly shot as enemy Japanese soldiers by trigger-happy U.S. military personnel.

Following WWII, they joined or organized U.S. "Veterans of Foreign Wars" (VFW) or "American Legion" (AL) war-veterans' units (called: "posts" -- as in an Army base or "post"), and some had their own specialized Nisei-veterans' flags.

Bill Garrison, 26 July 2022


Description of the flag

I have found several "Nisei" flags.

Flag above: source, https://janm.emuseum.com/objects/6192/fourth-district-nisei-memorial-post-1961-veterans-of-forei

2 negatives: b&w; 4 x 5 in., Published in Rafu Shimpo, September 3, 1959.;Fourth District Nisei Memorial Post 1961, Veterans of Foreign Wars present the organization .
janm.emuseum.com

A flag of the "4th District Nisei Memorial Post No. 1961" associated with the "Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States" and "Instituted Aug 15, 1953" in Gardena, California.

Bill Garrison, 26 July 2022