Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/660/

Talking to children about decision to resist the draft during World War II

And I just called them together and says, “Well, it's about time I tell you about what had happened, what I have done. You may not have heard about it.” And he says, “Oh yeah, we read about it in the paper, I mean, in the textbook.” I says, “How much did you have in there?” And they says, “Oh, just a little paragraph about the evacuation.” So I says, “Well, I'll tell you what happened and what had happened to me, what I have done.” And so I explained to the kids what I did and so that the kids won't get secondhand news from somebody else and find out that his, his or her dad was a draft resister, I thought I'd better get it straight with him and tell him why I did it and so they realized that. And to this day, I'm glad that I told 'em. I think many of the parents, I think, they held back and lot of the parents didn't know—I mean, the children, didn't know about what had happened to the Niseis and the Issei during the war years. And I think a lot of them, they just couldn't believe that it had actually happened.


discrimination draft resisters interpersonal relations resisters World War II

Date: July 25, 1997

Location: Washington, US

Interviewer: Larry Hashima, Stephen Fugita

Contributed by: Denshō: The Japanese American Legacy Project.

Interviewee Bio

Nisei male. Born 1925 in Seattle, Washington. Spent prewar childhood in Seattle's Nihonmachi. Incarcerated at Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington, and Minidoka incarceration camp, Idaho. Refused to participate in draft, imprisoned at McNeil Island Penitentiary, Washington, for resisting the draft. Resettled in Seattle. (July 25, 1997)

Frank Emi
en
ja
es
pt
Emi,Frank

Draft resisters sent to jail

(1916-2010) draft resister, helped form the Heart Mountain Fair Play Committee

en
ja
es
pt
Young O. Kim
en
ja
es
pt
Kim,Young O.

Appearance vs. Combat Effectiveness

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

en
ja
es
pt
Frank Emi
en
ja
es
pt
Emi,Frank

Would do the same again

(1916-2010) draft resister, helped form the Heart Mountain Fair Play Committee

en
ja
es
pt
Young O. Kim
en
ja
es
pt
Kim,Young O.

Basic Training

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

en
ja
es
pt
Young O. Kim
en
ja
es
pt
Kim,Young O.

A visit to Jerome after OCS

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

en
ja
es
pt
Young O. Kim
en
ja
es
pt
Kim,Young O.

Do it for all Asians

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

en
ja
es
pt
Young O. Kim
en
ja
es
pt
Kim,Young O.

Horrible pictures of war

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

en
ja
es
pt
Young O. Kim
en
ja
es
pt
Kim,Young O.

Near-death experience

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

en
ja
es
pt
Young O. Kim
en
ja
es
pt
Kim,Young O.

General Ryder’s faith in the 100th infantry battalion

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

en
ja
es
pt
Young O. Kim
en
ja
es
pt
Kim,Young O.

Comfortable in combat

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

en
ja
es
pt
Sakaye Shigekawa
en
ja
es
pt
Shigekawa, Sakaye

Lost respect for the flag after incarceration

(1913-2013) Doctor specializing in obstetrics in Southern California

en
ja
es
pt
Sakaye Shigekawa
en
ja
es
pt
Shigekawa, Sakaye

Traumatic experiences before camp

(1913-2013) Doctor specializing in obstetrics in Southern California

en
ja
es
pt
Sakaye Shigekawa
en
ja
es
pt
Shigekawa, Sakaye

Joining the hospital unit in Santa Anita Race Track

(1913-2013) Doctor specializing in obstetrics in Southern California

en
ja
es
pt
Sakaye Shigekawa
en
ja
es
pt
Shigekawa, Sakaye

“Everybody went in like sheep”

(1913-2013) Doctor specializing in obstetrics in Southern California

en
ja
es
pt
Henry Suto
en
ja
es
pt
Suto,Henry

The horror of Hiroshima after the atomic bombing (Japanese)

(1928 - 2008) Drafted into both the Japanese Imperial Army and the U.S. Army.

en
ja
es
pt