72 years ago today, Executive Order 9066 was signed. Earlier today, I posted a pictorial retrospective of anti-Japanese xenophobia and internment to commemorate this nation-wide Day of Remembrance. This is the third and final part of my #DayofRemembrance posts.
I present to you 12 historical images of Japanese American strength, patriotism and general awesomeness during and after internment.
1. A family of Japanese American kids wave a US flag and flash victory signs in Seattle, Washington while boarding a train en route to an internment camp in 1942 (source).
2. Students at Weill public school in San Francisco recite the pledge of allegiance. (source: Wikipedia)
3. The Hirano family carrying a picture of a US serviceman in a family portrait taken at Colorado River Relocation Center in Poston, Arizona (source).
4. The Iseri family, abruptly and forcibly relocated by Executive Order 9066, leaves this note for the customers of their pharmacy (source).
5. Dave Tatsuno carries his two-year old son as he packs up his belongings and reads a note to himself, prior to reporting at his local Assembly Center (source).
6. Internees salute a flag at Heart Mountain (photo credit: Hansel Mieth/Life).
7. Model German navy ships are built and inspected at Gila River. These models are destined for the US Navy where they are used to train soldiers in identifying German warships (source).
8. 3 members of the 442nd Infantry Regiment, the most decorated unit in US history, kneel in front of a “Go For Broke” sign (source).
9. A squad leader in the the 442nd patrols the woods of France, searching for German troops in a valley below. (source: Wikipedia)
10. Members of the 442nd sing “Abide in Me” at a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers in Italy on July 30, 1944 (source).
11. Wounded Nisei veterans who served in the 100th Battalion and the 442nd Infantry Regiment pose for a photographer at Dibble General Hospital in Menlo Park, Palo Alto, California in 1945 (source, which includes names and ranks of all pictured).
12. President Obama salutes surviving members of the 442nd in 2012, during a ceremony where they and the rest of the 100th Battalion and the 442nd Infantry were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in the United States (source and source).
Here is the full list of posts that I compiled today for this year’s #DayofRemembrance:
- Part One: 12 Images of anti-Japanese xenophobia
- Part Two: 10 images of Japanese American internment
- Part Three: 12 Images of Japanese American strength & patriotism
I hope that you enjoyed this virtual walk through the history of Japanese American internment as much as I enjoyed putting it together!
