Nisei VFW Post 8985
Nisei Memorial VFW Post 8985 was founded in 1947 by Japanese-American World War II veterans of the 442nd RCT and the Military Intelligence Service in Sacramento, California. Its members would form the first of 14 segregated Nisei VFW posts chartered in California. The post's clubhouse, originally built as a restaurant, was purchased with assistance from the local JACL in 1955, and is now the last remaining property associated with what was once Sacramento's historic Japantown. History As Japanese-Americans soldiers returned home from World War II service in Europe and the Pacific, they still faced discrimination despite their exemplary service record. Many VFW and American Legion posts refused to accept Nisei veterans, some even going to the extreme of removing members who previously served in World War I. Unable to join existing veterans organizations, the Nisei veterans in Sacramento decided to form their own post, appealing to fellow WW2 veteran Alva J. Fleming, a rising star in VFW's district leadership, and receiving a charter to establish a segregated post on 7 February 1947. Fleming would eventually become the VFW state commander for California in 1957 and prove instrumental in founding 14 Nisei VFW posts throughout California, posts 8985 in Sacramento, Monterey