Go For Broke National Education Center

06/08/2026

442nd RCT Nisei veteran Yosh Nakamura recounts capturing N**i soldiers at the outposts and learning the enemy had run out of ammunition. Holding the high ground but low on supplies, the Germans didn’t spot the 442nd moving through the Po Valley below in time, opening the door for Allied troops to push forward.

06/07/2026

For the past 27 years, on the first weekend in June, Go For Broke National Education Center has celebrated the June 5, 1999 dedication of the Go For Broke Monument to the City of Los Angeles. Our founding Japanese American World War II veterans wanted to ensure that the legacy of the more than 33,000 Japanese American men and women who bravely served during World War II would be forever remembered as an important American story.

Hosted by actor, writer, and comedian, and host of GFBNEC’s “Living the Nisei Dream” series, Sierra Katow, this special video tribute highlights the veterans’ courage and selfless service and our organization’s continuing fulfillment of their vision through nationwide programming and outreach. Learn more about another transformative achievement with the opening of the new Go For Broke Plaza later this year, which will include a permanent home for Go For Broke National Education Center, as well as legacy businesses like Suehiro Cafe and 248 affordable housing units.

Honor the valiant service of our Nisei veterans! Make a gift today to ensure the Nisei soldier’ story is not forgotten at https://goforbroke.org/events/monument-anniversary-general-donation

Program at 2 p.m. PDTPre-show 1:45 p.m. featuring “Honor a Veteran...

06/05/2026

Far Bar's Don Tahara on Robert Vargas mural that revitalized First Street.

This year’s National Torchbearer Spring Convening, held April 16-19 in Little Tokyo, centered on the framework of “Story of Self, Us, and Now,” grounded in the belief that learning to tell one’s own story is a foundational step in civic engagement. Thanks to business owner Don Tahara for sharing stories about the Little Tokyo community!

06/05/2026

442nd RCT Nisei veteran Yosh Nakamura recalls traveling from France to Italy by boat — not his favorite mode of travel — and how General Mark Clark, commander of the Fifth Army in Italy, ordered the 442nd to remove their unit insignias. The German high command held the segregated Nisei unit in such high regard that they would send reinforcements if they knew where they were fighting.

06/01/2026

Go For Broke National Education Center’s traveling exhibition “Courage and Compassion” is open at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens through August 30! Generations of the Kimura family visited and snapped photos by the Army dress shirt worn by Staff Sergeant Kimura T. Herbert (442nd RCT, Company D). His story, and those of other 442nd servicemen from Florida, are highlighted alongside the exhibition.

Don’t miss your chance to experience the stories of Japanese Americans during and immediately after WWII, alongside community stories of bravery and integrity by American citizens who supported Japanese Americans during the time of crisis.

05/29/2026

The Go For Broke Monument was presented to the City of Los Angeles on June 5, 1999 as a dedication to the legacy of the more than 33,000 Japanese American men and women who bravely served during World War II. Later this year, our founding veterans’ vision of an education center adjacent to the Monument will come to fruition with the Go For Broke Plaza, which will include a permanent home for Go For Broke National Education Center, as well as legacy businesses like Suehiro Cafe and 248 affordable housing units.

Honor our Nisei veterans as a Monument Anniversary sponsor, or make a veteran floral tribute or “Honor a Veteran” digital tribute (due Friday, May 29) at goforbroke.org. Watch the virtual tribute on Sunday, June 7 at 2 p.m. PDT at youtube.com/.

📷 Tracy Kumono

05/26/2026

In remembrance each Memorial Day, and through support from our generous donors, we honor the American WWII soldiers who were killed in action while serving their country in the segregated units and interred in cemeteries abroad. The placing of flowers is a small gesture to pay tribute to the ultimate sacrifice by these soldiers and their fight against facism on the war front and prejudice at home.

Tributes go to sites in Epinal, Florence, Lorraine, Nettuno, Sicily, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, as well as the Manila ABMC cemetery. These photos are from our tribute to American KIA WWII soldiers at the Sicily Rome Cemetery.

05/25/2026

On Memorial Day, we honor all who gave their lives in service to this country — including the American soldiers of Japanese ancestry who fought for the freedoms and liberties for all Americans and for future generations. Their sacrifice was immeasurable. Their loyalty was unquestionable.

Join us as we remember and honor their legacy. To learn more about the history of the Nisei soldiers and GFBNEC, visit goforbroke.org.

📷 National Archives and Records Administration. E Company, 2nd Battalion of the 442 Infantry Regiment Nisei soldiers snapped in formation. 5/13/1943. Camp Shelby, Mississippi.

05/21/2026

2026 Torchbearer Sara C. on the Spring Convening:
“When we all gathered together in front of the Go For Broke Monument to lay flowers and offer our respects, I felt a profound sense of unity and fellowship with my fellow Torchbearers. In our complete silence we were all spiritually in tune with one another — guided by the presence of these American heroes by our sides, putting hands on our shoulders and placing their batons in our palms.”

05/20/2026

2026 Torchbearer Nicole S. on the Spring Convening:
“As an academic, I’ve been implicitly and explicitly told to be an objective observer in my research on the Japanese internment. This has created some dissonance, as my identity as a Japanese American is somewhat suppressed in my career, despite it being centered on my community’s history. The program has given me the first steps on how to integrate those two roles, and also encouraged me to update my understanding of what it means to be Japanese American and honor the legacies of those who came before me.”