“My father knew he was fighting for more than just to save his life or to conquer the enemy… He was fighting for his country, for the right to hold his head up high, for his family and for the Japanese Americans who just wanted to have the same rights as everyone else in our country… And he wanted better for all of us… he had fought for their rights to be first class citizens as much as he fought to stay alive. As Japanese Americans, they were taught to be humble, to be brave, to be quiet and to follow their leaders. And they knew they had to be better, faster, stronger and braver than other soldiers of different races, because their names, their families all depended on their actions. He watched his friends get shot and die right in front of him without making a sound.” |
Despite Joichi Tahara’s internment, his two eldest sons took a stand to fight for the U.S.A. and the rights of Japanese Americans. (Tahara, 1920s-2015)
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