Sunday, December 09, 2007

December 7: Remember Pearl Harbor: Japanese Internment Debate Creates Backlash

The ANNOTICO Report

 

Japanese Americans keep up the steady drumbeat of anguish over the WWII Internment , attempting to deflect from the Japanese Militarism throughout Asia, and the countless Atrocities the Japanese committed, including the infamous "Rape of Nanking", prior to the Japanese "Sneak Attack" on Pearl Harbor,  the "unspeakable" treatment of US POWs, including such actions as "the Bataan March", and then has the disingenuous audacity to label the "Relocation Centers" as "Concentration Camps"

 

While these camps were surrounded by barbed-wire fences and guard towers with  armed guards.The barracks allowed families to families stay together. Meals were eaten in mess halls. They were permitted to create a sense of normalcy with school, sports, dances, newspaper, etc.

 

And I am constantly irritated that the Japanese Americans completely ignore the LIKE treatment of the the Italian Americans and German Americans.

 

There wee 600,000 Italian Americans, 300,000 German Americans , and 120,000 Japanese Americans that were Required to Register as ENEMY ALIENS, and all the Restrictions, including Internment, Jailings, Relocations, Confiscations, Curfews,and all the rest.

 

Interestingly, although there is MUCH made of the Japanese-American "fighting"  442nd, while there were between 600-800,000 Italian Americans fighting for the US Military, there were ONLY approximately 2,000 Japanese Americans fighting for the US Military !!! 

 

The male Japanese Americans of Military age in the Internment Camps were given the chance to join the US Military. Few Did.!!!!!

 

The "comfort" of the camp, or become a "grunt", and fight for your country.  The camp sounded good. Don't even have to go to Canada to avoid the Draft!!!!!!

 

 

Debate Continues Over WWII Japanese internment

Orange County Register

Letters to the Editor

Saturday, December 8, 2007

 

 

 Honesty Prerequisite for Seat at Table of Debate

Over the past couple of weeks I've read with interest the numerous articles and letters regarding the World War II internment of Japanese Americans at Manzanar. The Sunday, Dec. 2 edition of The Orange County Register printed two more entries into the debate which offered opposing views. The article by self-proclaimed history buff Howard Garber appeared well researched and fact-based while indicating that Japanese Americans were not the only ethnic group singled out for internment (or worse) during the war [Reader rebuttal].  And letter writer James Nagamatsu submitted an emotional piece laced with factual errors [Roosevelt won 3rd term at citizens expense].


First of all, Nagamatsu referred to internment camps as concentration camps. While I'm sure the camps did not offer the most luxurious accommodations, I haven't heard any allegations of slave labor, torture, starvation or use of gas chambers at the internment camps. The inferring of equivalency between internment camps and concentration camps is beneath honest debate. 


Nagamatsu also stated that while the U.S. was at war with Germany and Italy as well as Japan, similar treatment was not visited upon Italian or German Americans.  A simple Google search reveals that thousands of Italian and German Americans were also interned in camps across America 


In fact many German Americans were deported to Germany in exchange for other Americans being held by the Nazis, left to fend for themselves in a war-ravaged country or be thrown into "real" concentration camps accused of being American spies.


There is no shortage of painful and unfair treatment of people during wartime in this country or any other. But, when retrospectively analyzing a state of true national security nearly seventy years ago, it is improper to apply hindsight morality and selective indignation in order to claim unique victimhood in the eyes of history. 


 Finally, Nagamatsu claims that FDR interned Japanese Americans to fan the flames of hatred against them in order to garner votes for re-election to his third term as President of The United States. That election took place in 1940, nearly a full year before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Do the math.


A debate about the constitutionality, morality and fairness of WWII internment is fair game.  But honesty and openness to the facts are prerequisites for a seat at the table.


Tim Streit  of Coto de Caza

 

Remembering Pearl Harbor


James Nagamatsu, I read your article about WW II, the Japanese Internment. If I could talk to Nagamatsu personally I would ask him if he is still dwelling on how ruthlessly Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, killed many of our people and did mass destruction to our ships. One, The Arizona battle ship, still has more than a thousand men entombed on board.  I think he should get over it. I'm sure that hindsight is always better than foresight. I'm wondering if he knows who started the war?  It sure wasn't Roosevelt. I'm sure he was as shook up as everyone else. 


I believe today that the American Japanese were treated horribly. The German and Italian people were white. I didn't mistrust the Italians as much as the Germans. My friend, it was the face and believe me, no matter how the Japanese felt about America, it was the face that America hated.


We have friends in Hawaii who witnessed the bombing and torpedo planes that sunk and killed our men. They were in church that morning and could look out at the low flying planes creating mass destruction. The war changed America.


I was taken from a very good job, at 18, put on a ship for four years of my life and I've suffered from injuries now and until the day I die.
I forgave the governments that started the war the day I  got out of the service. Roosevelt saved a lot of lives by putting the Japanese here into internment  camps. The little city, back in Iowa, as peaceful as it was before the war, was ready to kill anything that looked Japanese. I also don't blame Harry Truman for what he did. He saved a lot of Americans lives. I believed as he did - you fight anyway that you can to win.


Herbert Webster of La Habra

 

A Cruel War Experience


It is remarkable that there are still Japanese Americans during this day and age who talk about the sentiments of the days after the dastardly attack by the Japanese to our nation in Pearl Harbor. Germany and Italy didn't committed the atrocities in Pearl Harbor, Japan did.


They steamrolled through China, Manchuria, Burma, Thailand, France-Indo China, Malaysia Singapore, Philippines, Dutch East Indies to name a few.  Everywhere they went they committed atrocities. 

 

How do I know?  By personal experience.  My Dad, who was a Dutch citizen in the  Dutch East Indies now known as Indonesia, was a school teacher all his adult life. After Pearl Harbor they stuck him in a uniform and shoved a rifle in his hand. In about 10 days the Japanese steamrolled through the Archipelago. And as a POW he was sent  to Siam, now Thailand.  One of my uncles was sent to Japan to work in the coal mines, and died there.  Some of my other uncles went to the bottom of the Java Sea. My Dad was 220 lbs. when he went in to the military and was 120 lbs. when he came out.


My message to all the James Nagamatsus out there is, Get over it.  Dont open any healed wounds of those of us who actually experienced those atrocities.


Erwin Vysma of  Westminster

 

 

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