About the Authors: Summer Espinoza

Post written by Summer Espinoza, Project Manager at Go For Broke National Education Center

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I am the project manager for the National Digital Archives of Japanese American Military Service (NDAJAMS) here at Go For Broke National Education Center (GFBNEC).  My primary responsibilities are to design and implement the standards and processes to create meaningful information about  the oral histories and special collections items in this digital initiative. For almost two decades GFBNEC volunteers and staff have worked diligently to record over 1,100 Nisei soldier oral history interviews.  The Hanashi Project’s successes now allows us to create the NDAJAMS so that we can publish and disseminate the narratives of these soldiers in service of our organization’s mission– to educate the community of the rights, challenges and responsibilities of citizenship.

Blog posts from me will be on the topic of project progress, lessons learned and highlights.  Please check back soon and often!

About the Authors: Sean Stanley

Post written by Sean Stanley, Intern at Go For Broke National Education Center

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My name is Sean Stanley, and I am an intern at the Go For Broke National Education Center. I am a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona with a B.A. in History and will be starting my M.A. in Library and Information Studies in the spring. In addition to interning, I also work part time for Claremont Heritage, a local heritage organization in Claremont, CA that deals with digital archiving and preservation of historic items. History is a great passion of mine and in the short time I have been with the GFBNEC, I have already learned so much.

I started interning at the GFBNEC in July of this year and I am currently working on indexing the Hanashi Oral History Interviews of Japanese American World War II veterans. The interviews are extremely enlightening and interesting; each veteran has a unique story that really brings to life what the World War II era was like for Japanese Americans. I often feel that this area of history is glossed over or not covered as it should be, which is really a disservice to all Japanese Americans who experienced a life of discrimination and struggle during World War II. In working with the oral histories, I have learned so much about our Nisei soldiers who served in the 442nd and 100th Infantry Battalions as well as the Military Intelligence Service throughout the Pacific Theater. These brave men sacrificed their lives for a country that did not always treat them justly, yet are proud veterans who served and protected their country valiantly.

The Hanashi Oral Histories are an extremely important historic tool and I am grateful to be helping preserve these resources for future generations. It is my hope that this project allows others to gain easier access to these interviews and help preserve the legacy of the Nisei soldiers of World War II.

About the Authors: Alan Hino

Post written by Alan Hino, Intern at Go For Broke National Education Center

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My name is Alan Hino, and I am an Intern at the Go For Broke National Education Center. I am a graduate from CSULB as an English Education major with an emphasis in Literature. I will shortly begin working towards an M.S. in Instructional Design. I began working for the organization in July, and I am currently working on indexing the GFBNEC’s Hanashi Oral History Interviews of Japanese American World War II veterans.

I became very interested in both the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, as well as my family history, when I found out my Uncle Hobi Fujiu volunteered for service in the 442^nd as a part of the Anti-Tank Company. In addition, my Uncle Tom Shishido was drafted into service out of Manzanar with the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) and served under General MacArthur. I am extremely proud of my Uncles and their brave service to their country. I am so thankful for the opportunity to work on my Uncle Hobi’s Hanashi Oral History Interview video clips.

My hope for working on such an amazing project as the Hanashi Oral History Interviews is to help educate future generations about the legacies of the 442^nd / 100^th Infantry Battalion / MIS. Finally, I am very appreciative for the opportunity to work on such an important project.

About the Authors: Chris Brusatte

Post written by Chris Brusatte, Exhibit Manager at Go For Broke National Education Center

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My name is Chris Brusatte, and I am the Exhibit Manager at Go For Broke National Education Center. My primary job is working on our new interpretive exhibition, set to open next spring in Los Angeles’ historic Little Tokyo district.

I also work on many of our social media initiatives, updating our Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr pages. I try to post fresh and interesting things as often as I can.

Finally, I also work with our Vice President Barbara Watanabe on programs – i.e. community events such as lectures, panel discussions, and visits to area schools. It’s the way that we reach out directly to our stakeholders.

I work closely with Summer and Erin (our Collections/Archival staff), since they are the source of all of the material that I use for all of these initiatives. When I need a great oral history clip, or a certain photograph, or perhaps a powerful document, I turn to Summer and Erin. It is their hard work that allows me to find (and to show) such valuable gems from our collection. Because of them, I am able to make our exhibition, our programs, and our social media updates rich and informative. Be sure to check them out!

Stay tuned for more blog posts from me, mostly about the initiatives that I mentioned above. We at Go For Broke have such a valuable, diverse, and rich collection, and we are excited to share it with you through this blog!

About the Authors: Erin Sato

Post written by Erin Sato, Assistant Archivist at Go For Broke National Education Center

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My name is Erin Sato, and I am the Assistant Archivist at Go For Broke National Education Center. I started working at GFBNEC in December 2014, as an intern, where I digitized photograph collections of Nisei (second-generation Japanese American) soldiers. I am currently working on indexing GFBNEC’s Hanashi Oral History Interviews of Japanese American World War II veterans, who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the 100th Infantry Battalion, and the Military Intelligence Service (MIS). We hope to have these oral history video clips available and easily accessible to researchers in the near future.

My experience working with the GFBNEC Archives, so far, has been incredible! I have learned so much historical context about the Pacific and European Theaters of World War II through the military service of the Nisei soldiers. Those men risked everything to not only prove their loyalty as American citizens, but to ensure that the generations after them could have a better life.

Through this blog, I hope to share more about the work being done within the GFBNEC Archives, as well as enlighten others about the legacy of the Nisei soldiers of the 442nd/100th/MIS.