Heroes Hall Speakers Series – Breaking Their Silence: Filmmakers Capture Stories of Japanese American Vietnam Veterans

Don Bannai and George Wada launched the Japanese American Vietnam Era Archives in 2022 in an effort to collect the oral histories of Japanese American Vietnam veterans, whose numbers were quickly dwindling. Many of these veterans were descendants of the brave soldiers who served in World War II in the Military Intelligence Service and the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, highly decorated units. Over the past few decades, the focus had been on World War II veterans with little attention paid to Vietnam veterans, whose return from war was largely met with hostility and contempt.

Bannai and Wada began the project knowing that members of their generation who had served and survived the Vietnam War also had stories that needed to be captured. Thus far, they have recorded more than 100 sessions, with dozens posted to the Library of Congress website.

When: Saturday, May 10, 2-3:30 p.m.
Where: OC Fair & Event Center – Heroes Hall Museum & Education Center
How much: Free admission and parking.