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thanks for posting the quote!

vkm — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 23:46:06 -0700

That quote really underscores why it's so important for us to keep telling the story of the Japanese American soldiers during WWII - both in Europe and in the Pacific. Thanks so much for posting it!

MIS Combat Linguists

sigrid — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 15:30:48 -0700

At the Japanese American National Museum, I recently learned about some of the difficulties MIS interpreters in Japan faced during World War II. It was not hard to empathize with their plight. What pressures and suspicions they must have faced, from American soldiers they served with, as well as from the people of their own home country. These men -- fully bilingual in two languages and "caught" between two cultures -- were indispensable to American forces in WWII.

What was a little harder to understand was the prejudice against these men from other American soldiers. It is really difficult to understand why this type of suspicion exists in our own times:

The Conflict in Iraq: "Combat Linguists" Battle on Two Fronts
Interpreters, some U.S. citizens, face not just Iraqi insurgents but suspicious GIs as well
Los Angeles Times (CA)
June 5, 2005
Author: John M. Glionna and Ashraf Khalil

from the article:

"In Iraq, some interpreters said, soldiers mocked their Arabic surnames and accused them of being 'on the wrong side' of the conflict. Suspicious of his accent and dark features, some soldiers disdainfully labeled Tarik a hajji, a term of respect among Muslims that many American soldiers use with scorn.

The Boston resident felt like he was fighting two wars.

'I don't care what you think of me,' he recalled telling fellow soldiers after arriving in Baghdad in April 2004. 'I'm wearing this uniform. I'm just as much of an American soldier as you are.'"

appreciation for MIS veterans

vkm — Tue, 24 May 2005 08:09:08 -0700

One of the greatest perks of being a staff member of the Japanese American National Museum is that I've met and worked with so many very dedicated and amazing volunteers. Many experienced World War II as witnesses and participants. Their personal stories are what have made that time more real to me than mere numbers and dates ever could have...and yet, as often is the case with people who you see every week, you don't tend to take the time to ask them to tell you more. Once you get past the introductions, your meetings are generally quick hellos in the hallway or in the lunchroom. The focus tends to be more on what's happening now, not going back to hear about their past.

Last week, I had the opportunity to listen to a panel of WWII veterans who each spoke of their experiences during the war. Their simply told stories were moving, and very inspiring. It makes me wonder whether I have that kind of courage within myself. I have said 'hi' to most of the panel members on many occasions as I've seen them in the halls at the Museum. One in particular, I see every week. Hitoshi Sameshima was a member of the MIS during the Occupation of Japan. He was actually one of the Nisei linguists that assisted with the Class B War Crimes Trials referred to in George Koshi's essay. When I see Hitoshi, I see him as he is now -- a dedicated volunteer, a Nisei, a veteran, a person who's almost like an uncle (prior to my marriage last year, he always used to ask me if I was married yet.) =)

Listening to him on the panel though, reminded me that there was a lot that happened to him, that he accomplished, that made him who he is now. Earlier this month, one of my father's brothers died suddenly. I regret that I didn't take the time to listen to his stories. The little bits that I did hear are what I remembered and treasured in the week of the funeral and afterwards.