Go For Broke National Education Center

Go For Broke National Education Center
Name	Go For Broke National Education Center
Founded	1989
Location	Los Angeles County, California
Type	Nonprofit organization
Focus	Historical preservation, veteran advocacy, public history

Go For Broke National Education Center is a nonprofit organization and museum dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of American soldiers of Japanese ancestry who served during World War II. The center interprets the service of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Infantry Battalion, Military Intelligence Service, and related units through exhibits, educational programs, and archival collections. It works with veterans, families, academic institutions, national parks, and civic groups to promote remembrance and understanding of wartime service, civil liberties, and postwar civil rights.

History

The center grew out of veterans' initiatives in the 1970s and 1980s that involved figures connected to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Infantry Battalion, Military Intelligence Service, and advocacy by veterans who had ties to organizations such as the Japanese American Citizens League and the National Japanese American Historical Society. Founders and supporters included veterans of campaigns like the Anzio Campaign, Battle of Monte Cassino, and the Po Valley campaign, and community leaders from Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, Manzanar War Relocation Center survivors, and families with links to the WRA era. Early alliances formed with institutional partners including the National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, University of California, Los Angeles, and the California State University system. The center's development paralleled legislative and reparative actions influenced by the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and commemorative efforts like the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to Nisei units, intersecting with broader public history movements involving museums such as the Japanese American National Museum and archives like the Bancroft Library.

Mission and Programs

The center's mission emphasizes commemoration of Nisei soldiers from units including the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), and the Military Intelligence Service while engaging audiences through partnerships with institutions such as the National WWII Museum, Pearl Harbor National Memorial, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Veterans History Project, and the Library of Congress. Programs have linked to curricular initiatives at the California Department of Education, collaborations with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, and grant partnerships with foundations modeled on practice from entities like the Ford Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The center runs lectures, veteran oral history projects, and public commemorations featuring speakers from institutions such as the U.S. Department of Defense, United States Congress, and state legislatures, and honors individuals associated with awards like the Presidential Medal of Freedom and honors connected to the Congressional Gold Medal ceremonies.

Museum and Exhibits

Exhibits showcase artifacts, uniforms, letters, and photographs related to campaigns including the Rapido River crossing, the Rhineland Campaign, and operations in the Italian Campaign (World War II). Permanent and traveling exhibitions have been displayed in venues including Little Tokyo, Smithsonian Institution affiliate spaces, and municipal sites in Honolulu, Seattle, San Francisco, and Chicago. The center has mounted thematic exhibits that position Nisei service alongside internment narratives from Manzanar War Relocation Center, Minidoka War Relocation Center, Gila River War Relocation Center, and legal developments tied to cases influenced by figures and events like the Fred Korematsu litigation, referencing advocacy by activists associated with civil rights efforts such as Wesley Iwata and organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union.

Education and Outreach

Educational initiatives reach K–12 and higher education communities through classroom resources aligned with standards used by districts in Los Angeles Unified School District, partnerships with teacher programs at the University of Southern California and California State University, Los Angeles, and outreach to veterans through collaborations with the Department of Veterans Affairs and local veterans' service organizations. Programs include oral history training connected to the Veterans History Project, curriculum development in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities summer institutes, and public programming timed with observances such as Veterans Day and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Collaborations extend to cultural institutions including the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, Wing Luke Museum, and historical societies such as the Historical Society of Southern California.

Collections and Archives

Collections comprise personnel records, unit histories, wartime correspondence, medals, and audiovisual interviews with veterans who served in units like the 441st Regimental Combat Team support elements, 100th Infantry Battalion veterans, and Military Intelligence Service translators and linguists. The archive maintains materials that complement holdings at repositories such as the National Archives and Records Administration, the Densho Digital Repository, and university special collections at UCLA Library and the University of Washington Special Collections. The center's oral histories have been contributed to projects like the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress and have informed scholarship published in journals and monographs from presses such as University of Hawaii Press and Oxford University Press.

Recognition and Impact

The center has influenced public memory through exhibitions, teacher training, and participation in commemorative events alongside institutions like the National World War II Museum, United States Congress ceremonies for the Nisei Soldiers of World War II, and municipal proclamations in cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Honolulu. Its work has informed media portrayals in documentaries produced with broadcasters like PBS, academic studies at institutions such as Stanford University and Harvard University, and legislative acknowledgments connected to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and subsequent commemorative actions. The center's advocacy contributed to educational policy conversations and public recognition initiatives that intersect with the legacies of individuals and groups honored by awards including the Congressional Gold Medal and state-level commendations.

Category:Japanese American history Category:Military museums in California