Congressional Gold Medal, awarded to WWII Nikkei vets, to tour seven cities

Last November, the Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to Japanese American World War II veterans in recognition of their extraordinary accomplishments while serving in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the 100th Infantry Battalion and the Military Intelligence Service.

The medal will travel to seven cities across the country beginning in January 2013, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service announced in a statement.

SITES has partnered with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the National Veterans Network to share the story of the Nikkei who “fought with bravery and valor on the battlefields of Europe and Asia,” even while many of their family members were imprisoned in American concentration camps in the United States.

The medal is expected to travel to the following museums:
• The National World War II Museum, 945 Magazine St., New Orleans, La., Sat,, Jan. 12 to Sun,, Feb. 17, 2013; www.nationalww2museum.org, (504) 528-1944
• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice St., Honolulu, Sat,, March 9 to Sun,, April 14, 2013; www.bishopmuseum.org, (808) 847-3511
• Japanese American National Museum, 100 North Central Ave., LA’s Little Tokyo, Sat,, May 4 to Sun,, June 9, 2013; www.janm.org, (213) 625-0414
• de Young Museum, Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr., San Francisco, Sat,, June 29 to Sun,, Aug. 4, 2013; http://deyoung.famsf.org, (415) 750-3600
• Oregon History Museum, 1200 SW Park Ave., Portland, Ore., Sat,, Aug. 24 to Sun,, Sept. 29, 2013; http://ohs.org, (503) 222-1741
• Chicago History Museum, 1601 North Clark St., Chicago, Sat,, Oct. 19 to Sun,, Dec. 8, 2013; www.chicagohs.org, (312) 642-4600
• Holocaust Museum Houston, Morgan Family Center, 5401 Caroline St., Houston, Thurs,, Dec. 26, 2013 to Fri,, Jan. 24, 2014; http://hmh.org, (713) 942-8000
At the conclusion of the tour, the medal will be on permanent display in “The Price of Freedom” exhibition at the National Museum of American History, which is located at 1300 Constitution Ave., Northwest. Washington, D.C.  An educational package with an iPad application, social-learning Website and curriculum that the NVN developed with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program, will accompany the medal.
For more information, visit http://americanhistory.si.edu or call (202) 633-1000.