Also known as: Nisei Vets; NVC; NVC Hall; NVC Clubhouse

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.