Japanese Americans and WWII

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Japanese Americans and WWII

Japanese Americans in the military during WWII faced discrimination and racism, fought not only for freedom at home and abroad, but also to prove their loyalty to the United States. They were disowned by the Japanese government and the American people, simultaneously fighting two internal wars, trying to defeat aggression abroad and discrimination in the United States. Many Japanese Americans served in the U. S. armed forces in unbalanced numbers, despite having their allegiances doubted after the attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. Most served in the segregated 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Infantry Battalion, as well as others serving key roles as translators and interpreters.

Before the war, Japanese Issei immigrants- or first generation immigrants from Hawaii and Japan-- migrated to the Pacific Northwest in the 1880s, when federal legislation demanded new immigrant labor after excluding further Chinese immigration, also known as “Yellow Peril”. Thousands of Issei participated in the construction of the Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Oregon Short Line and other railroads in the Colombia River Basin in the 1900’s. The immigrants comprised almost close to half of Oregon’s railroad industry labor force. New irrigation project arose as soon as sugar beet production boomed in the West. Proprietors from the Utah and Idaho Company recruited the Issei to laborers on their farms, interchanging seasonal employment with railroads. Soon enough, Japanese immigrants spread throughout the Pacific Northwest to provide farm labor, but viewed the industry as an opportunity to one day own their own farms.

The Issei were accepted at first due to the fact that they were a source of ...

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...Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA), is devoted to upholding and fortifying comradeship among its members, continuing the memory and history of its departed comrades, preserving true allegiance to the Government of the United States of America, and upholding its Constitution and Laws, and keeping and extending the institutions of American freedom. The legacy of the Issei and Nisei are legendary, beyond their military successes, gained full respect along with opportunities for future races, religion, and culture in all aspect. For many years, their devotion to their country went unnoticed, until they overcame the dual challenges of prejudice with their undaunted service with astonishing feats of courage, even against their own race. Their impact was groundbreaking and opened doors to those who sought opportunity and freedom. That is their living legacy.

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