The Cowlitz County Historical Museum is hosting a special Thursday evening program tonight featuring the executive director of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon.

Hanako Wakatsuki-Chong will discuss the Japanese American soldiers who served during World War II, including the famed 442nd Infantry Regiment and the Military Intelligence Service. Many of those soldiers volunteered or were drafted while their families were held in incarceration camps.

The 442nd became one of the most highly decorated units in U.S. military history. Combined with the 100th Infantry Battalion, it received more than 4,000 Purple Heart medals.

Wakatsuki-Chong is the granddaughter of Japanese American incarceration camp survivors and previously served as superintendent of the Honouliuli National Historic Site.

The program begins at 7 tonight at the Cowlitz County Historical Museum, 405 Allen Street in Kelso. It is the final program of the season, with the series returning in January.