“We Were ‘The Undesirable’” | Japanese-American US Soldier Don Shimazu | USC Shoah Foundation
Author: USC Shoah Foundation via YouTube
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“As the months went on, word began to filter down saying ‘Hey, there’s some concern and worry at the highest level in the Pentagon. They’re beginning to wonder, ‘How reliable are these soldiers we have, you know, the Japanese-Americans?’ […] We were considered almost like enemy aliens – too unreliable. And they had to disband us. It was a real cruel blow to those of us who were trying to defend our country [America].”
“We were designated ‘Class 4-F’ with the registration boards. […] You know, ‘the undesirable.’”
On February 19, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. The Order sanctioned the removal of all persons considered a threat to American national security to “relocation centers”, resulting in the incarceration of Japanese-Americans.
In 1943, Japanese-American Don Shimazu joined the US Army to prove his loyalty to the United States. Despite his heroic service, Don continued to experience discrimination as a Japanese-American. In his testimony, Don discusses the complexities of being Japanese-American while Japan and America were at war, and his family’s reaction to his voluntary involvement.
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