Fundraising to begin for Nisei Legacy Center

A fundraising campaign will begin early next year for a proposed Nisei Legacy Center to honor Japanese-American veterans of World War II who served with the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service and 1,399th Engineer Construction Battalion.

The scope of the fundraising campaign will depend on where the proposed Nisei Legacy Center will be located and whether the center will occupy an existing building or a newly constructed one, said Wes Deguchi, chairman of the Nisei Legacy Center Committee, who is also an architect.

Deguchi’s father, Yasunori Deguchi, 87, of Kona, served in the 2nd Battalion, Fox Company, with the 442nd. His uncles served with the MIS and 100th Battalion, and Wes Deguchi is also president of the Sons and Daughters Chapter of the 442nd RCT Veterans Club.

"We promised the veterans that we’d get this done soon," Deguchi said. "As each month goes by, there are less veterans. We should have done this 10 years ago."

The launching of the campaign was announced during ceremonies last week to present nisei veterans with replicas of the Congressional Gold Medal that had been bestowed earlier on some of the veterans of the 100th, 442nd Regimental Combat Team and Military Intelligence Service in Washington, D.C.

"The medal brings all the veterans one step closer to being together, and that’s what we’re trying to do," Deguchi said.

Members of the 100th, 442nd and MIS veterans clubs, the 100th Infantry Battalion Legacy Organization and 442nd RCT Foundation agree on the need to create a center to combine the nisei archives in one unified collection, according to the Nisei Legacy Center Committee.

The goal is to have the new center’s collection complement existing archives at the University of Hawaii and at the 442nd and 100th Battalion clubhouses.

While the exact size of the Nisei Legacy Center depends on upcoming negotiations with current landowners, plans call for 10,000 to 15,000 square feet of space to house historical documents from the units, Deguchi said.

The 100th Battalion club currently uses about 500 square feet of storage space, and the 442nd has about 1,000 square feet of storage space. Both clubs use nearby apartments to store their artifacts, Deguchi said.

The Nisei Legacy Center also would need an area for researchers and others to view the documents in a proposed library resource center; an exhibit room to display wartime memorabilia, such as photos, uniforms and weapons; and a multipurpose room — possibly with a kitchen — to be used for meetings, classes, social events and meals, Deguchi said.

The committee hopes to find a location in 2012, begin construction within two years and open its doors to the public in early 2015, Deguchi said.