The Japanese American Experience: From Pearl Harbor to the Present

After Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, America's leaders chose to lock its Japanese American citizens behind barbed wire in internment camps. Imprisoned Nisei (Japanese Americans citizens born in the United States to immigrant parents) were then paradoxically asked to fight and die for the country that interned them. The Nisei of the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, former internees who volunteered to fight for the United States, became the most decorated combat unit of their size in Europe. In the Pacific, the Nisei shadow warriors of the Military Intelligence Service provided vital battlefield information to their commanders. These impressive military and espionage accomplishments have largely gone unrecognized. And after the war, Nisei families rebuilt their lives and continued to make a difference by confronting social injustice. Project Torchlight was founded by Sansei (third generation) descendants to tell the full story of the Nisei and their families — from immigration to internment, to battlefields in Europe and the jungles of Burma, to the political struggles that reshaped civil rights in America. Tomes will discuss his team’s journey to develop Project Torchlight and build it into an important multi-part documentary that will share the under-told WWII stories of Japanese American betrayal and heroism, and how Nisei redefined the meaning of American loyalty, identity and justice for generations. TOMIO “TOMES” TOYAMA is an Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel with two decades of military service who now works at Apple Computers managing national security sector business. Tomes holds degrees in Arabic and Systems Engineering from West Point and History from the University of Hawaii. His studies in history and experience as a Japanese-American in the military and intelligence community led Tomes to research incidents that illuminate untold military and espionage operations. * Doors open at 6:30 PM and the program runs from 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM. * This program is free but the maximum capacity is 100. Please preregister at commonwealthclub.org and arrive early to ensure a seat. * Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is a nonprofit public forum; donations can be made during registration to support the production of programs such as these. * If you have symptoms of illness (coughing, fever, etc.), we ask that you either stay home or wear a mask. * For accessibility accommodations, please fill out the online form at sccld.org/accessibility 7+days prior to the event. If you need assistance with the form, speak with a staff member at your local library, call (408) 540-3945, or email us at [email protected].

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