Courage of Convictions - World War II Internment Camp Draft Resisters

(This blog was originally published under the headline of "Another Legacy of World War II in Today's Japanese-American Community" at the internet website of The News Tribune, a daily newspaper in Tacoma, WA on 11/11/07 at a reader-generated website entitled "In Your Neighborhood." )

A few brave souls - and I believe it took incredible courage for men raised as they were in the old days in our duty-bound ethnic subculture, to challenge induction into the U.S. military from World War II's government sponsored interment camps. It's a little known fact that there actually were were a handful of Nikkei internees in the camps who resisted induction into the military in principle and risked additional punishment from the law.

A Seattle author, John Okada, wrote about the plight of these men in his pioneering 1957 novel novel "No No Boy". It has been republished several times since, most recently in 1980 by the University of Washington Press. It has become increasingly accepted as not only a classic in the Japanese-American community but has increasingly earned mention on important lists of books of significance to our entire nation. Eric Mueller's "Free To Die For Their County: The Story of Japanese-American Draft Resisters during World War II" (C. 2001, University of Chicago Press) is a factual account of the same events and features a forward by highly decorated Japanese-American World War II veteran and celebrated U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii.

For merely tackling the topic at the time, Okada took in many ways some of the same kinds of hits that befell those interned resident who fought induction. Additonally, the spate of angry words and broken relationships between them, members of their Japanese-American families, fellow Nikkei internees, Nikkei community organizations and even some of our own military veterans continued extended in some cases, past the time principals died and their remains long placed in cold grounds. The stigma has only in recent history been publically addressed in a widespread manner.

According to a current article in the International Examiner titled "In search of No No Boy" explores John Okada's Life (by Ken Mochizuki, November 7-20, 2007) a local film produced by Frank Abe, also communications director for King County, provides excellent light on the still hotly debated. Abe, a talented man who has also worn many other hats as a pioneering actor, former community activist, local journalist and television reporter is not only no stranger to difficult and controversial topics, but in the past has thrived at then providing audiences with a deep thorough and thoughtful analysis.

For myself while I might academically understand this bitterness in the contest of history, as much as I take pride at the incomparable sacrifices and accomplishments of our own World War II veterans (as well as veterans from the larger community including Hawaii in other wars including World War I) as community member who'd prefer wholeness for all, reading about these long-standing breaches was a source of considerable emotional angst. So I take special comfort that so many people like Frank Abe are willing to help the rest of us reassess them in the present day.

For more information on John Okada's book go to: http://www.washington.edu/uwpress/search/books/OKANON.html. Details about Frank Abe's documentary film in the International Examiner are available at: http://www.iexaminer.org/archives/?p=663. A website with details on Eric Mueller's book "Free To Die For Their Country" can be located at: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/548228.html.