The 4,000 men who initially made up the unit in April, 1943 had to be replaced nearly 2.5 times. In total, about 14,000 men served, earning 9,486 Purple Hearts for their deeds in Italy and Germany. The unit was awarded eight Presidential Unit Citations (five earned in one month). Twenty-one of its members were awarded Medals of Honor. Their motto was "Go for Broke". It wasn’t until 1945 that some of the Japanese-Americans were released. The Supreme Court still upheld the legalization of the relocation based on their ruling in the cases of Hirabayashi vs. United States and Korematsu vs. United States. However, early in the spring of 1945, the Japanese-Americans who had maintained and exhibited an undisputed loyalty to the United States were
…show more content…
In March of 1946, the last Japanese internment camp ceased operations and closed its gates. In 1948, a law was passed that helped the Japanese regain some of their losses they had incurred from having to part ways with their land and personally belongings and homes so quickly and for such low prices. Also in 1988, Congress passed a bill that awarded monetary restitution to the families of Japanese and Japanese-Americans who had been placed in the various camps. Over 70,000 people ended up receiving the $20,000 compensation. Since the history of the internment camps is becoming more readily admitted in America today, different people from the camps have begun to speak about their lives within the walls. One of the more famous people that lived in an internment camp is George Takei. Much later in his life, George become known for his role as Mr. Sulu on the famous sci-fi show, Star Trek. However, George Takei spent most of his early life in an Japanese internment camp. Even though his father, mother, and himself were all natural born Japanese-Americans, born and raised in the state of California, in his own words he …show more content…
At five years old, he moved with his family and his life completely changed. He calls February 19, 1942, the “Day of Remembrance”, not the day of internment, as many other Japanese-Americans commonly referred to it. His father tried to hide the fact from his young, impressionable son that their own country and their own neighbors did not trust them, so he told George that they were all going on a long vacation to Arkansas, to have a big, family adventure. Somehow, George still sensed something was not as it seemed. On the train ride to Arkansas, armed guards sat at the front and the rear doors of every train car, and every time they passed a town, the passengers had to draw the window shades to hide themselves from the townspeople they passed. Still, the young boy held on to the promise of his father that this was just all part of the big vacation. However, when they arrived, young George knew at once that something was not right. The camp looked like a prison with its high, menacing walls, and the tall, grim-looking watchtowers with stone-faced military guards watching their every move. Machine guns seemed to mimic their every move, and the air was tense with uncertainty. This was to be the only life that George would experience for the next few
In March of 1946, the last Japanese internment camp ceased operations and closed its gates. In 1948, a law was passed that helped the Japanese regain some of their losses they had incurred from having to part ways with their land and personally belongings and homes so quickly and for such low prices. Also in 1988, Congress passed a bill that awarded monetary restitution to the families of Japanese and Japanese-Americans who had been placed in the various camps. Over 70,000 people ended up receiving the $20,000 compensation. Since the history of the internment camps is becoming more readily admitted in America today, different people from the camps have begun to speak about their lives within the walls. One of the more famous people that lived in an internment camp is George Takei. Much later in his life, George become known for his role as Mr. Sulu on the famous sci-fi show, Star Trek. However, George Takei spent most of his early life in an Japanese internment camp. Even though his father, mother, and himself were all natural born Japanese-Americans, born and raised in the state of California, in his own words he …show more content…
At five years old, he moved with his family and his life completely changed. He calls February 19, 1942, the “Day of Remembrance”, not the day of internment, as many other Japanese-Americans commonly referred to it. His father tried to hide the fact from his young, impressionable son that their own country and their own neighbors did not trust them, so he told George that they were all going on a long vacation to Arkansas, to have a big, family adventure. Somehow, George still sensed something was not as it seemed. On the train ride to Arkansas, armed guards sat at the front and the rear doors of every train car, and every time they passed a town, the passengers had to draw the window shades to hide themselves from the townspeople they passed. Still, the young boy held on to the promise of his father that this was just all part of the big vacation. However, when they arrived, young George knew at once that something was not right. The camp looked like a prison with its high, menacing walls, and the tall, grim-looking watchtowers with stone-faced military guards watching their every move. Machine guns seemed to mimic their every move, and the air was tense with uncertainty. This was to be the only life that George would experience for the next few