Join us at JAMsj for the grand opening of our new exhibit, Twice Heroes and More , as award-winning author/photographer Tom Graves unveils six never-before-seen portraits and interviews of local veterans, created especially for this exhibit (not in his 2013 book).

• Katsumi "Kats" Hikido (Campbell)--Injured both legs in a land mine accident w hile serving in Europe with the 442 Regimental Combat Team (RCT)
• Buster Ichikawa (San Jose)--Wounded in Italy near the end of the war, in an attack which killed soldiers behind and in front of him
• Tak Ota (Gilroy) MIS--Lost his uncle in the bombing of Hiroshima
• Leo Oyama (San Jose)-- Served in France and Italy with the K Company of the 442
• Frank Shimada (San Jose)--Wounded by a grenade while serving in Europe with the 442
• Hiroshi "Terry" Terakawa (San Jose)--U.S. Army Corporal, Korean War

Graves from his collection, showcase veterans from Northern California, including Lawson Sakai, recipient of four Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star medal.

In addition to Graves' photos, the new exhibit will feature five custom-made soldier GI Joe dolls by Rian Ebesugawa, first vice commander at the Nisei Veterans Committee (NVC) in Seattle, where many of his amazing Nisei soldier dolls are on display. Four new dolls, made especially for JAMsj, will be gifted to our museum: a soldier in WWII dress uniform, one in 442nd battle gear, an MIS soldier, and a Korean War soldier in winter battle gear will be featured. The fifth soldier doll is from the private collection of Tosh Yasutake. It is one of the very first made by Ebesugawa and represents a WWII medic, modeled after Yasutake.

The exhibit also includes various artifacts from the featured veterans and the JAMsj collection. On display for the first time will be a scrapbook containing many of the poignant letters WWII Nisei soldiers wrote back to members of the Crusaders will be shown for the first time. The Crusaders were a group of young women in the WWII confinement camps who wrote to Nisei soldiers to boost their spirits. The group was organized by Mary Yuriko Nakahara, who later became a civil rights icon, perhaps better known under her married name, Yuri Kochiyama.

The January 17 program for the exhibit's grand opening will include a special Q&A with some of the local veterans featured in the exhibit.

Cost: Free with admission to the museum (nonmembers, $5; students and seniors over age 65, $3; JAMsj members and children under 12, free).

Contact PublicPrograms@jamsj.org or call (408) 294-3138 to reserve a spot.