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My father is a Nisei – a 2nd generation Japanese American. Pearl Harbor was a significant day in my families history. My maternal grandfather sat all his children down that day and emphasized that they were American citizens. My father dismantled his beloved rifle and buried it in his backyard. They were interned in Topaz, Utah.
Many of my fathers peers were killed while fighting in the European theatre. The 442nd was the most decorated batallion of that war, but they were in Europe. There were a few Niseis involved in the Pacific theater in intelligence. Most of the Hawaiins were in the 442nd, not in the Pacific, I believe. My father was in the 442nd but was detained from going to battle by an epidemic of measles or chickenpox – something like that. He was later sent over to Italy as part of the cleanup crew and was flag bearer, radio operator, and the colonels favorite driver. He was lucky and was treated well by the ranking officer. There is a picture of his feet in a book on my parents coffee table – his face and torso hidden by the American flag.
A few years back a group of Niseis, including my parents, visited Bruyeres, Belgium which the 442nd had liberated. They had a very tearful “reunion” and was treated like royalty.
I was lucky enough that my parents talked about it. There is some bitterness, but all is well now and their life is good.
There is an irony in our family. They did not intern the Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans so my grandfather and grand uncle leased his property to a Chinese family while they were interned so our family was lucky and was able to keep their land. The grandson of this family ended up marrying my second cousin, my grand uncle’s daughter – and they did not know the connection until the families were introduced to each other to make the wedding plans.
Many of my father’s peers have been successful in business after the war and are now living very affluently. It is kind of a crack up to see former poor farmers driving around in Mercedes and Lexus with golf clubs – but that’s their reality today.
Hopefully we will come to see a new understanding of world politics when this whole thing plays out.
The difference between then and now is that the acts of racism are individual acts, not a government act. The government seemed to have learned from the WWII experience. We as a society should restrain the individual hysteria against people who “might be” Muslim. And there are portions of government seeking to protect people from such racism, so it is not the same as back then when the solution to racism was simply to intern the objects of racism.
Kathy Mayeda, Sansei Endurance Rider
-----Original Message-----
From: Beth Gunn [mailto:happyhoofprints@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2001 6:17 AM
To: C. Eyler; ridecamp@endurance.net
Subject: RC: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Terrorism RC: 1276
Cindy,
I don't think Don was trying to justify the treatment of Jap-Am during
WWII. He was stating what did happen. And these folks were not the only
ones to lose homes, businesses, and families during wars, but it is shameful
of the "resons" why. These same families in internment camps probably had
sons in Pearl Harbor, fighting FOR the US.
Hopefully , we have grown up some and can tell the difference between enemy
and friend....that is always a challenge, isn't it?
Beth Gunn
----- Original Message -----
From: C. Eyler <eyler@mindspring.com>
To: Ridecamp <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2001 11:23 PM
Subject: RC: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Terrorism RC: 1276
> It's just not good enough to smile reassuringly at a Muslim woman in a
store
> but also say (referring to the treatment of Japanese-Americans during
WWII)
> that the same thing happened to them at the onset of the war and that
"they
> and we survived". Those folks lost their homes, their businesses, almost
> everything -- all because of the way they looked. I can't believe that
> anyone would just brush off what our country did to them.
>
> No wonder we're starting to repeat the past.
>
> Cindy
>
>
> > Cindy & Pat. Maybe you two should go back and read the complete posts of
> Don
> > & Beth before you conclude they are racists. Your self editing has
> > completely taken their posts out of context. Who are the dangerous ones
> > here?
>
> > > Yes, very sad. You'd think we'd learn. Muslim men and women, some of
> > whom
> > > have been in this country for decades, some of whom were born here,
are
> > > terrified to even leave their homes.
> > >
> > > We're supposed to be better than this.
> > >
> > > Cindy
>
>
>
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