SEATTLE — KIRO 7 attended the bi-monthly Veterans poker game at the Nisei Veterans Committee Hall in October.
This game has been played continuously for decades.
The NVC Hall and its partner, the Nisei Veterans Foundation, are located in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.
We met 98-year-old Victor J. “Junks” Ikeda, trained as an interrogator with the US Army’s Military Intelligence Service. He was spared that mission when the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan.
We also met George Kiuchi, drafted in 1951. Mr. Kiuchi joined the Air Force and was stationed in Germany during the Cold War. He parlayed his Air Force training into a career as an air traffic controller.
We also spoke to Michael Yaguchi, who retired from the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel. He worked in many top-level positions, including as a nuclear missile launch officer.
The NVC was originally formed post-WWII for the empowerment of Nisei Military Vets who were not welcomed by organizations like the VFW and the American Legion.
Nisei refers to persons born in the US to parents who were immigrants from Japan. As population trends have changed over the years, the Nisei Veterans’ Committee.
“Membership is open to veterans and non-veterans who believe in the purpose,” they shared.
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