In this photograph by Pete Souza, President Barack Obama returns the salute of Tommie Okabayashi in the Oval Office on February 18, 2014. Okabayashi was one of seven surviving Japanese American World War II veterans President Obama met with that day at the White House. In 2010, President Obama signed into law the legislation passed by Congress to reward the Congressional Gold Medal to the 33,000 second-generation Japanese American soldiers who fought in World War II. The Congressional Gold Medal is among the highest civilian awards given by the United States government.