I'd like to introduce our guest blogger, Keika, who was kind enough to write down her thoughts about a really interesting program she attended over the weekend.
When I was in my high school history class, I used to sink into my chair whenever the topic of Japan in World War II would come up. The Japanese government committed unimaginable atrocities in that period of history. As a second generation Japanese-American, how could I ever be proud of my heritage?
Some of that burden was lifted this weekend when I learned about another aspect of WWII history – the Japanese-American experience. This past Saturday, I had the rare opportunity to attend a program organized by the Japanese American Citizen’s League (New York Division). The program brought together Japanese immigrants (first generation Japanese) and Japanese-Americans (second to third generation) in the tri-state area for a screening of a documentary, which aired in 1994, called “Japanese American Soldiers: For Whom Did They Fight For?” and a panel discussion including Japanese-American veterans who fought in WWII and victims of the Japanese internment camps.
I learned that although most Japanese-Americans were forced into camps in the early 1940s, many second generation Japanese-Americans enlisted in the U.S. Army and became part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT). I know that it must have been difficult for them to fight when they knew that their families were being forcibly interned in camps by their own nation, yet they fought with loyalty and courage. I read in a New York Times article that the 442nd RCT suffered some of the greatest casualties during WWII, but they also became one of the most decorated units, totaling in about 18,000 individual awards. Another interesting thing I learned from the documentary is that scouts from the 522nd battalion (a part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team) were among the first Allied troops to liberate Dachau concentration camp (80% of the prisoners of whom were Jewish). For many years, this was not public knowledge.
This documentary made me think of one of the Museum of Jewish Heritage's past special exhibitions, Ours to Fight For: American Jews in the Second World War , which is now a traveling exhibition. Although both are from very different cultures, Japanese American and Jewish American soldiers share something – both fought for a nation that they loved and were proud of. I realized how important it is for each of us to learn about and be proud of our heritage and to learn about the shared history of different cultures.
Some of that burden was lifted this weekend when I learned about another aspect of WWII history – the Japanese-American experience. This past Saturday, I had the rare opportunity to attend a program organized by the Japanese American Citizen’s League (New York Division). The program brought together Japanese immigrants (first generation Japanese) and Japanese-Americans (second to third generation) in the tri-state area for a screening of a documentary, which aired in 1994, called “Japanese American Soldiers: For Whom Did They Fight For?” and a panel discussion including Japanese-American veterans who fought in WWII and victims of the Japanese internment camps.
I learned that although most Japanese-Americans were forced into camps in the early 1940s, many second generation Japanese-Americans enlisted in the U.S. Army and became part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT). I know that it must have been difficult for them to fight when they knew that their families were being forcibly interned in camps by their own nation, yet they fought with loyalty and courage. I read in a New York Times article that the 442nd RCT suffered some of the greatest casualties during WWII, but they also became one of the most decorated units, totaling in about 18,000 individual awards. Another interesting thing I learned from the documentary is that scouts from the 522nd battalion (a part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team) were among the first Allied troops to liberate Dachau concentration camp (80% of the prisoners of whom were Jewish). For many years, this was not public knowledge.
This documentary made me think of one of the Museum of Jewish Heritage's past special exhibitions, Ours to Fight For: American Jews in the Second World War , which is now a traveling exhibition. Although both are from very different cultures, Japanese American and Jewish American soldiers share something – both fought for a nation that they loved and were proud of. I realized how important it is for each of us to learn about and be proud of our heritage and to learn about the shared history of different cultures.
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