Corp. Terry Toyome Nakanishi helped overcome stereotypes during war

Corp. Terry Toyome Nakanishi’s decision to join the Women’s Army Corps during World War II represented a unique path taken to assert their American patriotism by some Nisei, women who were first-generation Japanese Americans born in the United States

Only about 80 Nisei women were part of the WAC.

In 1945, Nakanishi was among the first Nisei WACs to be sent to the Military Intelligence Language School in Fort Snelling, Minnesota.

Nakanishi and her Nisei comrades challenged the Word War II stereotypes about Japanese Americans and women. By pursuing a nontraditional path in military service, these WACs proved that Japanese American women could play an important role in protecting the nation’s interests and maintaining peace.