Living In A Prison Camp During World War II

Would you like to be living in a prison-like camp during the duration of the horrible and bloody World War II? On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Within the first two months of this tragic event’s occurrence, 120,000 Japanese Americans including my father, were taken to internment camps. It was horrifying to see him leave with a look of sadness, disgust, and wonder on his face. Little did I know, I was not to see this important figure in my life for some time: the entirety of this world wide catastrophe. He was taken to a prisoner-of-war camp in Montana, and while we were separated I was filled with feelings of dejection and loneliness, because he simply was not present. Because of the enduring stress placed on many families such
as mine, Japanese Americans should, without question, receive compensation for having all of their material possessions taken away, for having their pride stripped from them, and for having to be separated from loved ones.
First, Japanese Americans should be given a financial stipend for the material possessions confiscated from them. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, my mother and I, who were frightened by the awful situation, were forced to evacuate our comforting and precious home; to make matters worse, we could only take what we could carry and that was not much. Some of the wonderful items I had to leave behind included my tennis bag and equipment, my piano, my innocent dog, and some of my favorite stuffed animals. After spending many hours trying to jam anything I could think of into my seemingly miniscule suitcase, it was time to go. As my mother and I took a last look around at the comforting habitat, a lump swelled up in my throat and tears started to gush down my face. I did not understand why loyal Americans like mom and I were taken as the enemy just because we looked like them. We would never have done anything to harm the United States and I felt we did not deserve this cruel treatment. Furthermore, the United States government should have to pay retribution to Japanese Americans for
the pride and dignity that they mercilessly stole from us; from a young age, my father and mother always instilled in me that I must display pride in everything that I do. However, this tragic event stripped me of this important lesson and left me heartless. Before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, my parents ran a reputable Japanese food mart, where cuisine was sold; every weekend, I used to help out there, and it made me extremely proud to serve everybody in the community.
Additionally, I always displayed strong ethics and morals in my interactions with fellow students in my studies at school. As deeply ingrained as my pride was, I nevertheless could not keep my head held high when the American government put out Executive Order 9066, which pushed all people of Japanese ancestry into internment camps. When we were herded onto buses by army men, I was so ashamed that I dropped my head to conceal my identity. When we arrived at the camp, we were dehumanized even more. If we had to go to the restroom at night, a search light was shined on us so that we could not escape camp; it was as if we were in prison. Some nights, even when I had to go to the restroom, I held it in because of the grief it caused me to be treated in such a hurtful fashion. I lost my sense of worth and even thought of running away. Finally, the United States government owes Japanese Americans money and apologies because separation from loved ones was unbearable. In my family my uncle and my father were taken to a seperate concentration camp in Montana. Both of these men were Japanese community
leaders and they played a significant role in my life. My father, a loving, caring, and intelligent person who I had always aspired to be like, was torn apart from my mother and I; additionally, my uncle was a good person who sometimes helped me out on weekends in the food mart, and had a big heart. My mother, although she tried to conceal her sadness, was extremely upset that such a thing would happen to her once united family; for a period of about four years after he was taken away the day Pearl Harbor was bombed, I did not see him. This time period was very lonely and I missed my father’s presence greatly. I used to remember the big smile he met me with when I came home from school every day, and the beautiful garden that he used to tend for; every spring, he would give a marigold to each of us and Mom would put them in her coat pocket. However, the ruthless and harsh government took all of the wonderful times we had together away just because of our ethnicity. When the war was finally over and I got to see my dad again I smiled for one of the first times in four years and I still cherish him. The United states government may argue that they made the right decision about interning Japanese Americans; however, it tore apart my family and violated the rights of any United States citizen.

We did not deserve this horrible treatment. We are loyal Americans and will always be so. Japanese Americans even created their own regiment in World War II. Even when we were interned in the camps, we still thought that America was the best country in the world. Because of this fact, compensation of around $40,000 should be awarded to every Japanese American family interned in the concentration camps.