The shared experiences of two biological grandfathers, both veterans of World War II, weave a narrative of complexity and tragedy in American history.
Fighting in the Pacific Rim, both men were prepared for an invasion of Japan, only to witness a historic turning point with the U.S. nuclear bombings in August 1945 and Japan’s subsequent surrender on September 2.
Their military service diverged after the war; one grandfather served in the occupation of Japan, while the whereabouts of the other remain uncertain.
One of the grandfathers carried haunting memories of comrades left behind by the ravages of war, leading to complicated feelings towards the Japanese people.
Yet, amid the chaos, he retained a sense of humanity, recalling meaningful moments, such as sharing tea with a Japanese man who mourned the loss of his son in the conflict.
While American soldiers fought abroad, back home, government actions against Japanese Americans revealed a darker side to American liberty.
Japanese immigrants and U.S.-born citizens of Japanese descent faced forced internment in concentration camps, with Camp Amache in Colorado as one of ten such locations.
The historical backdrop speaks volumes; on December 7, 1941, Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor, propelling the U.S. into World War II.
In response, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, which did not explicitly mention Japanese ancestry but authorized military commanders to exclude individuals from designated military areas.
The result was the incarceration of over 110,000 Japanese Americans, including about 70,000 citizens, setting off a troubling chapter marked by discrimination and prejudice.
This internment stemmed from longstanding anti-Asian sentiments that had been brewing for decades prior to the war, revealing a pattern of racial animosity.
In 1854, Horace Greeley condemned Chinese immigrants in a scathing article: describing them as “uncivilized” and “filthy beyond all conception,” Greeley paved the way for institutional racism against people of Asian descent.
By 1880, Denver’s Chinese population had increased dramatically, prompting negative media coverage and political rhetoric targeting these immigrants.
The Rocky Mountain News published an article on March 28, 1880, portraying the Chinese as a plague, stating, “Denver has a ‘Chinatown’ with all modern improvements and ancient vices.”
Such dehumanizing imagery continued, calling them “a nation of over five hundred millions of people, and the most cowardly and effeminate on earth.”
On October 31, 1880, racial tensions erupted in violent ways, as a white mob attacked the Chinese community in Denver, culminating in the murder of Look Young.
This mob violence, fueled by inflammatory rhetoric and widespread bigotry, heightened fears among white residents of losing jobs and social standing to the newcomers.
In a letter published the same day as the mob violence, the writer decried the Chinese as “selfish” and lamented the economy’s decline due to their “presence.”
Calls for action, implying violence, became the rallying cry for those seeking to assert racial superiority and protect economic interests.
The narrative did not end with the riots; the U.S. government institutionalized these sentiments through legislation such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese laborers from immigrating and prevented those already in the country from becoming citizens.
As the years progressed, prejudice targeted not only the Chinese but also Japanese immigrants, leading to new restrictions and discriminatory laws, especially in California, spurred by economic anxieties and deep-seated xenophobia.
Historians, including Greg Robinson, contextualize this darker side of American leadership, noting that FDR, while personally disapproving of racial prejudice, was influenced by a legacy of racist opinions against Japanese Americans.
Roosevelt’s support for racial restrictions in America culminated in his acceptance of military justifications for internment, underestimating the severity of the injustice faced by Japanese Americans.
In a troubling twist of fate, centuries of prejudice paved the road for mass incarceration during World War II, suggesting that the policies were not merely military strategies but often stemmed from revenge and economic protectionism.
As society grapples with the ramifications of such historical injustices, it remains essential to understand the narratives of those like my grandfathers.
Their experiences reflect a complex mosaic of humanity amid atrocities and war, reminding us that in times of fear and conflict, the consequences of racism can overshadow our shared values of freedom and justice.
Moving forward, a detailed examination of Robert Harvey’s updated book, “Amache: The Story of Japanese Internment in Colorado During World War II,” promises to illuminate this critical chapter further.
image source from：completecolorado
