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Chapter!. The Nisei and the Author
Who Were the Nisei of the 442nd RCT?
As mentioned In the Preface, several books now have been written about the first
generation of Japanese (fssei) who came to Hawaii and the western part of the United
States. However, a short overview here will help to put the events of this memoir in
perspective. It was mostly the next generation (Nisei), and a few second generation
(Sansei) boys born in Hawaii and the mainland USA who served in the 442nd
Regimental Combat Team (RCT). The parents or grandparents of these American-born
sons had come to this country seeking a better life. The kids had grown up in caring,
loving families, with typical Asian self-discipline and respect for others; they were as
American as apple pie. They put tremendous emphasis on the work ethic and on
education. There was no excuse for failure! As f will tefl you later, these were the same
principles that governed my family too, except 11 generations separated me from my
pioneering ancestor, Nathaniel Foote.
Where Did the Nisei Come From to Form this Army Unit?
ft was a cruel and tortuous journey that these peace-loving American families went
through en route to establishing the 442nd RCT. It all began with the attack on Pearl
Harbor, December 7, 1941. The 160,000 Japanese-Americans in Hawaii were viewed
with suspicion, but were not relocated. However, the 110,000 or more persons of
Japanese ancestry on the mainland, including 70,000 in that group who were native-
bom American citizens, were disenfranchised. The adults were mostly hard-working
farmers and small shopkeepers, and the children ranged from new babies to college
graduates. In the Spring of 1942 they were summarily removed to 10 hastily, poorly
constructed concentration camps. They had only 7 to 10 days to dispose of the property
that they had worked all their lives to obtain. Camps had little privacy, sanitation or
medical care.
There was no basis for issuing the evacuation order, except fear, as no Japanese-
American was ever found to commit any act of espionage or sabotage. General Dewitt,
who issued the evacuation order, was obviously biased as he said: *A. Jap's a Jap,*
regardless of citizenship.
AIT first-generation Japanese (Issei) were designated aliens. How coufd they be
American citizens, as federal law denied them the right to apply for citizenship? They
did the best they could in camps with limited facilities to continue the education of the
children and to provide a variety of positive activities. An example of the stupidity or
unreasonableness of the authorities was not allowing kids to take baseball bats to the
camps because these were "dangerous weapons." Friends of the kids pointed out that
these bats were only used by the kids to "keep their eye on the bait."
Back in Hawaii already there were the Hawaiian Territorial Guard and National
Guard units containing many Nisei soldiers. The first gut reaction was to order all these
men of Japanese ancestry discharged. How could officials do this when the men had
displayed unswerving devotion to the United States? Eventually cooler heads prevailed
and the order was rescinded. These men formed the famed 100th Battalion that
eventually became the 1st Battalion of the 442nd RCT. They were sent (1300 men and
29 officers) to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin for further training on June 5, 1942. There they
Object Description
| Title | A Connecticut Yankee |
| Description | A collection of information and pictures pertaining to the term "Connecticut Yankee." |
| Subjects | World War II--Military service--442nd Regimental Combat Team |
| Type | image |
| Genre | Books |
| Language | eng |
| Collection | Hirasuna Family Papers |
| Collection Description | 21 items |
| Project Name | California State University Japanese American Digitization Project |
| Rights | Rights not yet transferred |
Description
| Local ID | csufr_hfp_0609 |
| Project ID | csufr_hfp_0609 |
| Title | Chapter 1 |
| Creator | Foote, Robert Hutchinson:author |
| Date Created | Unknown |
| Subjects | World War II--Military service--442nd Regimental Combat Team |
| Type | image |
| Genre | Books |
| Language | eng |
| Collection | Hirasuna Family Papers |
| Collection Description | 8.43 x 10.91in |
| Rights | Rights not yet transferred |
| Transcript | Chapter!. The Nisei and the Author Who Were the Nisei of the 442nd RCT? As mentioned In the Preface, several books now have been written about the first generation of Japanese (fssei) who came to Hawaii and the western part of the United States. However, a short overview here will help to put the events of this memoir in perspective. It was mostly the next generation (Nisei), and a few second generation (Sansei) boys born in Hawaii and the mainland USA who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT). The parents or grandparents of these American-born sons had come to this country seeking a better life. The kids had grown up in caring, loving families, with typical Asian self-discipline and respect for others; they were as American as apple pie. They put tremendous emphasis on the work ethic and on education. There was no excuse for failure! As f will tefl you later, these were the same principles that governed my family too, except 11 generations separated me from my pioneering ancestor, Nathaniel Foote. Where Did the Nisei Come From to Form this Army Unit? ft was a cruel and tortuous journey that these peace-loving American families went through en route to establishing the 442nd RCT. It all began with the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. The 160,000 Japanese-Americans in Hawaii were viewed with suspicion, but were not relocated. However, the 110,000 or more persons of Japanese ancestry on the mainland, including 70,000 in that group who were native- bom American citizens, were disenfranchised. The adults were mostly hard-working farmers and small shopkeepers, and the children ranged from new babies to college graduates. In the Spring of 1942 they were summarily removed to 10 hastily, poorly constructed concentration camps. They had only 7 to 10 days to dispose of the property that they had worked all their lives to obtain. Camps had little privacy, sanitation or medical care. There was no basis for issuing the evacuation order, except fear, as no Japanese- American was ever found to commit any act of espionage or sabotage. General Dewitt, who issued the evacuation order, was obviously biased as he said: *A. Jap's a Jap,* regardless of citizenship. AIT first-generation Japanese (Issei) were designated aliens. How coufd they be American citizens, as federal law denied them the right to apply for citizenship? They did the best they could in camps with limited facilities to continue the education of the children and to provide a variety of positive activities. An example of the stupidity or unreasonableness of the authorities was not allowing kids to take baseball bats to the camps because these were "dangerous weapons." Friends of the kids pointed out that these bats were only used by the kids to "keep their eye on the bait." Back in Hawaii already there were the Hawaiian Territorial Guard and National Guard units containing many Nisei soldiers. The first gut reaction was to order all these men of Japanese ancestry discharged. How could officials do this when the men had displayed unswerving devotion to the United States? Eventually cooler heads prevailed and the order was rescinded. These men formed the famed 100th Battalion that eventually became the 1st Battalion of the 442nd RCT. They were sent (1300 men and 29 officers) to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin for further training on June 5, 1942. There they |
