The Washington Post recently printed images of the design finalists, with the final design to be determined later this summer by the US Mint.
In May, the proposed medal designs were reviewed by both the Commission of Fine Arts and the Citizen Coinage Advisory Commission. After giving the opportunity to present the two obverse and two reverse design preferences of the NVN, the committee members individually responded to the proposed designs. All were very respectful and many spoke about how special and emotional this medal award is since it will eternally tell the story of a group of American soldiers of Japanese ancestry who overcame adversity and prejudice to prove their loyalty and patriotism to America.
Both commissions recommended a design to the U.S. Mint that was the preferred design of more than ninety percent of 100th, 442nd and MIS veterans nationwide. Their recommendation is as follows:
Obverse design: Color Guards in front, soldiers lined together in front of the American flag. Inscriptions include, “Nisei Soldiers of World War II” and “Go For Broke”.
Reverse design: Three insignias with a ribbon around it that spells out the MIS, 100th, and 442nd, with the inscription of the years of services, “1941-1946”.
This final medal design will be submitted to the Secretary of Treasury this month for approval. When approved, production of the Congressional Gold Medal will begin. For the latest news and information on how families can order their Congressional Gold Medal replica, please visit the National Veterans Network website at www.nationalveteransnetwork.com.
