The green steel pot helmet with a bullet hole in one side and out the other tells one of the Hawai'i Nisei stories — in this case, improbably, of survival — from World War II.

The photo of a 21-year-old 1st Lt. Bert Nishimura on the 'Iolani Palace grounds, heading up several thousand Hawai'i volunteers with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team preparing for war duty, tells another.

Surviving veterans and family members yesterday filled in the gaps as Central Pacific Bank's main branch on King Street unveiled an exhibit of memorabilia from four of Hawai'i's legendary Japanese-American units — the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat team, Military Intelligence Service and 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion.

In old age, and with their numbers dwindling, the veterans increasingly have come together to tell their shared story of patriotism and service to a nation that didn't trust them because of their names.

"This exhibit shares this inspiring story of strength, dedication and perseverance," said Andrew Rosen, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Central Pacific Bank.

Among the veterans featured in the exhibit are bank founders U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye — a Medal of Honor recipient — Elton Sakamoto and Sakae Takahashi.

Dozens of veterans and family members attended the opening ceremony for the exhibit, which will be on display through the remainder of 2009.

The helmet with the bullet holes belonged to Cpl. Sueo Sakamoto, who was with the 100th Battalion. The McKinley High grad died last year at age 84; his sister, Irene Nakamura, was at the exhibit opening yesterday.

Sueo Sakamoto had joined his older brother, Uichi, in the 100th Battalion. In Italy, a sniper's bullet hit Sueo's helmet.

"It went through and miraculously, talk about luck, there's a lining and the bullet spun around between the lining and the metal and came out the back," Nakamura said. "He told me (later), 'Don't tell anybody, but I was scared to death.' "

That same luck didn't hold out for Uichi Sakamoto, who was killed charging a hill at Monte Cassino, Italy, where the 100th suffered heavy casualties.

"My mother, coming from Japan, her attitude was, you can't help it, it was war, so you accept," Nakamura recalled. "I think we younger people were a little more upset, and the older generation, they didn't show it."

Nishimura, pictured at 'Iolani Palace as a young lieutenant heading up several thousand Hawai'i soldiers who volunteered for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, today is 90, has had three strokes and gets around with the aid of a walker.

"At the time, I didn't realize the importance of the occasion," said Nishimura, who took the soldiers to Camp Shelby, Miss., for training, and later served in Europe.

The War Department, observing the valor of the 100th Battalion, had decided that more Nisei should be recruited from Hawai'i and Mainland relocation camps, and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was activated in February 1943.

Ted Tsukiyama, who also was at yesterday's gathering, started out with the 442nd, but was pulled out to be with the Military Intelligence Service fighting the Japanese in the India-Burma theater because of his Japanese language skills picked up in Hawai'i.

Arling Nakayama, meanwhile, was with the 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion, which remained in Hawai'i and completed more than 54 major projects.

Nakayama, now 90, recalled his company of 107 men getting two sacks of potatoes and two sacks of rice every other week, along with some sauerkraut. With every delivery, his master sergeant would call for a Jeep, and take the potatoes and sauerkraut over to the Caucasian soldiers to trade for rice.

"I have to tell you the truth. I never cared for sauerkraut," Nakayama said.