The Challenges of Japanese Americans in WWII America
Narrator: That burden would weigh particularly heavy on the Japanese-American community who has to prove their loyalty to a country that had deserted them.
Frank Lida: As a Japanese-American, we ere intern in these camps. Now that was a war that needed to protect our country. There was a purpose for that war. We had a purpose beyond that to prove our loyalty to this country.
Male: You can't say all Japanese were bad so we intern them all and yet a lot of them went out and volunteered and served honorably and well.
Frank Lida: This is what a lot of people outside of our race, they realized that we were born here and we are Americans just as much as they do. As far that goes to fight for our country that was it. We were fighting for our country. This was our country.
Female: In 1945, the war would finally come to an end.
Frank Lida: At the end of the war, suddenly a lot of things were available that hadn’t been before but at the same time, we had probably 11 million veterans back into the community and trying to get back to their old jobs.
Female: At their peak, the valley’s airbases had more than 22,000 employees, many of whom had come from all over the country and decided to make the valley their home.
Male: Sacramento is a very racially diverse community now in large part because of the military presence here. I think the heritage of McClellan and Mather and other bases here in the central valley is that racial diversity. People came together working as a team and we’re still together as a team here.
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