Last Updated on 10/17/2017 by Chris Gampat
All images by Shane Sato via Go For Broke on Kickstarter
While war and conflict remain some of today’s most commonly documented and explored topics, there are still a lot of stories that remain untold. Through his fascinating photo book project on Kickstarter, Los Angeles-based photographer Shane Sato wants to tell a wartime story that is probably still unfamiliar to many.
For over 20 years, Shane has been photographing Japanese-American World War II veterans with the goal of creating a photo book that will tell the world about these men and their stories. They were the Nisei, or second generation veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service. According to Shane, he produced the first Go For Broke Spirit Photo Book from this project entirely with his own funds. It also only featured the veterans living along the West Coast and Hawaii. Wanting to go further with this project, he took the Go For Broke Spirit Photo Book project to Kickstarter for funding. The great news is, it’s been successfully funded with a few more days to go.
For the second book, Shane plans to travel to the Midwest and East Coast to continue documenting the brave Japanese-Americans who did a heroic service to the country. It will also feature over 80 portraits of Japanese-American WWII veterans and their personal stories, including some portraits that Shane wasn’t able to include in the first book.
Sample pages from The Go For Broke Spirit
8×10 proof sheet. $250+ level perk
“Working with the vets has always fascinated me for two reasons. For one, being Japanese-American myself, I felt proud of the honor these men brought for all Japanese-Americans living in this country,” Shane shared on the Kickstarter campaign. “And second, I was struck by their humility. While small in physical stature, the accomplishments of these men were powerful and moved an entire generation. ”
The Go For Broke Spirit Photo Book campaign will run until October 20th, so head to the Kickstarter page to pledge your support and grab your copy of this interesting photo book.