Oregon Nikkei Endowment begins its 20th year in 2010 with a new exhibit of moving photographs by Oregonian photographer Motoya Nakamura honoring the veterans and families of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. In conjunction with this exhibit, Oregon Nikkei Endowment will host an Honorable Service Medal ceremony Saturday, March 13th beginning at 1pm. The medal ceremony will take place at the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, located at 121 NW 2nd Avenue, in the Old Town/Chinatown Historic District of Portland.

The medal ceremony is the creation of Veterans of Oregon, a non-profit organization where veterans and friends of veterans from every era can come together to help each other. Primarily a service organization designed to help veterans in need, Veterans of Oregon works to improve the community around them by educating the younger generations about the importance of patriotism and service.

Veterans of Oregon presents a free medal to every veteran who desires it, in order to publically acknowledge and honor veterans and their families. This medal is designed to be presented to every veteran within the State of Oregon who has served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America and was honorably discharged.

The ceremony will take place on Saturday March 13th, 2010, beginning at 1pm. Veterans who wish to receive a medal must apply through the Veterans of Oregon website and applications must be received 7 business days prior to the event. More details can be found at www.veteransoforegon.com/about.html or by calling John Neuman at 503-622-6084.

The Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center serves as a focal point forthe preservation and sharing of the history and culture of the Japanese American community. One of the most important chapters in the Japanese American experience is the forced  internment of over110,000 persons of Japanese descent during the Second  World War. This fuels our commitment to the preservation of civil rights for all Americans. The Legacy Center is a venue for cultural and research activities and an invaluable resource for the exploration of the experiences of Japanese  Americans and their role in Oregon's multi-cultural community.

The mission of the Oregon Nikkei Endowment is to preserve and honor the history and culture of Japanese Americans in the Pacific Northwest, to educate the public about the Japanese American experience during World War II, and to advocate for the protection of civil rights for all Americans.