Quiet Americans is a digital storytelling project about Japanese American history — stories of injustice, resilience, and resistance. We explore the lessons we’ve learned and the ones we failed to, from the past.
This project is inspired by the life of one Nisei (a second-generation Japanese American) who went from incarceration camps to volunteering for the U.S. Army. He served in the Pacific, worked in post-war Japan as a Military Intelligence Service officer, and later fought in the Korean War. Yet, like so many in his generation, he rarely spoke about it. He carried his story quietly. We’re here to tell these stories, so we never forget.


100th Infantry Battalion
The best recruits the commander had seen in 45 years were the enemy aliens.


Wakamatsu Colony
One of the first Japanese settlers in America was the last samurai.


Executive Order 9066
America had completed the largest racially motivated forced removal in its history. And called it a success.

Camp Savage
Executive Order 9066 didn’t just remove 120,000 civilians. It also removed America’s human secret weapons.

Fred Korematsu
Clyde Sarah opened his big mouth. And became Fred Korematsu.

Oath of the Sword
It was a silent film. So silent, it remained forgotten for over 100 years.

Johnson-Reed Act
The law limited how many immigrants could enter the United States. For Asians, it meant nobody.