The National Japanese American Memorial Foundation Applauds U.S. Senate Approval of
Congressional Gold Medal honors for Japanese American Veterans of World War II

Approval Arrives as the 22nd Anniversary Redress for Japanese Americans Approaches on August 10th; Foundation
to honor the Military Intelligence Service in November

WASHINGTON, DC- August 5, 2010 : With a week to go before the 22nd anniversary of the The Civil Liberties Act of 1988, offering
redress to Japanese Americans interned by the US Government during the Second World War,  the U.S. Senate approved  legislation
(S. 1055) awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Japanese American soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd
Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) during the War.

The vote is another tribute to Japanese American WWII veterans, whose stories of patriotism and heroism while their families were
incarcerated in American internment camps were essential voices of ‘personal justice denied’ that led to the enactment of The Civil
Liberties Act.

Dr. Craig Uchida, chairman of NJAMF’s Board commented, “The Award of the Congressional Gold Medal to Japanese American
veterans and the MIS will reaffirm what the Memorial and the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 stand for:  American patriotism,
perserverence, and posterity.   These veterans offer an unparalleled legacy bequeathed to the American people.  The rights Japanese
Americans fought for during and after the war are the rights of all Americans to freedom and to personal justice.”

Dr. Uchida also noted that an announcement is forthcoming from the Foundation about honors to
be paid to veterans of the Military Intelligence Service and others on November 4, 2010 in Washington, DC in conjunction with the
10th Anniversary of the dedication of the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism during World War II.

The Congressional Gold Medal is Congress’ highest civilian honor.  Before it can be presented for vote, two-thirds of both the House
and Senate are required to become  formal  cosponsors. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced  H.R. 347 in the House, and which was
approved in May 2009. The Senate bill was introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and had 73 co-sponsors.  Because of an
important change to the legislation in the Senate, the bill returns to the House for final congressional approval – anticipated in
September.

The National Japanese American Memorial Foundation has been proud to support pursuit of this Congressional Gold Honor.

Commonly known as the Go For Broke regiments, the 100th/442nd is the most highly decorated unit for its size and length of service in
U.S. military history. Among the many awards and distinctions earned through the bravery and sacrifice of soldiers of these units are: 7
Presidential Unit Citations, 21 Medals of Honor, 29 Distinguished Service Crosses, 560 Silver Stars with 28 Oak Leaf Clusters, 22
Legion of Merit Medals, 15 Soldier’s Medals, 4,000 Bronze Stars and more than 4,000 Purple Hearts.

The contributions of the 6,000 Japanese American soldiers who served in the highly classified MIS were not known until passage of the
Freedom of Information Act in 1974.  Their work proved to be vital to U.S. military successes in the Pacific Theatre, from China to
Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima to Leyte, and in Occupied Japan. The MIS has been credited with shortening the war in the Pacific and
saving countless Allied lives.  President Bill Clinton honored the MIS with a Presidential Unit Citation in 2000.

NJAMF is a member of the National Veterans Network,  an alliance of 22 World War II veterans’ organizations and nonprofits from
throughout the United States whose missions are to serve the interests of the Japanese American World War II veterans or to preserve
the Japanese American WWII experience.  Participating organizations include:  Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA),
Washington DC; National Japanese American Veterans Council, Washington DC; National JACL, Washington DC; Chicago Nisei Post
1183/American Legion, Chicago, IL; Houston JACL, Houston, TX; Japanese American Veterans of Minnesota, MN; Oregon Nisei
Veterans, Portland, OR; Oregon Nikkei Endowment, Portland OR and Nisei Veterans Committee, Seattle WA.  

Additional National Veterans Network participants are National Japanese American Historical Society, San Francisco, CA ; Friends
and Family of Nisei Veterans, San Francisco, CA; Pinedale Assembly Center Memorial Project, Fresno CA; Go For Broke National
Education Center, Torrance, CA; 100/442 Veterans Association, Los Angeles, CA; MIS Club of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA;
Nisei Veterans Coordinating Council, Los Angeles CA; 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans Club, Honolulu HI; 442nd RCT Veterans Club,
Honolulu HI; MIS Club of Hawaii, Honolulu HI; Go For Broke Association, Honolulu HI and Nisei Veterans Memorial Center, Maui,
Kahului, HI.

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About NJAMF
The National Japanese American Memorial Foundation (NJAMF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to education and public
awareness about the Japanese American experience during World War II. NJAMF raised the private funds to build the Japanese
American Memorial to Patriotism during World War II. The Memorial is not only a monument to the Japanese American experience,
but also a reminder that we must not allow anything like this to happen to any minority community again. In the last year, the
Foundation has carried on its mission by honoring World War II heroes of the 442nd Battalion in Houston, TX, and by honoring Navajo
Code Talkers in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, as featured on C-Span. Additionally, NJAMF recently
received a grant from the National Park Service to train docents at the Memorial to continue to educate the public on the history of
the Japanese American experience during World War II. www.njamf.com, Facebook