I remember being "taught" about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in school, and how the teachers explained in bored monotones that our country was taken surprise by an enemy threat. But I don't remember much more about the lesson.
I'm drawing on memories over forty years old, so maybe I'm not remembering the majority of what was taught. Heck, I can't even remember what color scrubs I wore last Wednesday.
So, I Googled lesson plans for teachers on the topic of Pearl Harbor.
The sad thing is that my memory hadn't failed me, but the school system did.
In school, according to the lesson plans I found online, children are taught about the American lives lost in the Pearl Harbor attack. They're taught about the U.S.S. Arizona and the lives lost on that battleship. They're taught about the President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who declared war on Japan the very next day. And that's good. They should be taught these things. But, I think there's more to be learned from that event in history.
In some lesson plans, children are encouraged to write an essay on what it would have been like to be an American in Pearl Harbor that fateful day.
What I couldn't find in any lesson plan is what troubles me. Especially now, with the recent election of Donald Trump. It worries me, and I can't help but think our government has purposely shoved important parts of history to the bottom of the trash can. You know, like what a kid might do after they've stolen their big brother's candy bar and gobbled it up in a dark corner behind their locked bedroom door. They dig a hole in the trash can, and bury that wrapper deep. They hope and pray Big Brother forgets he ever had that candy bar.
That's what I fear American leaders and educational institutions have done with our past, and it may lead to our downfall in the future.
I realize that the Japanese had been guilty of atrocities against the American people. I've heard the Japanese army learned how to use bayonets by practicing on American soldiers. I believe every culture has it's own dark moments to reflect on and learn from.
But there's another side to the attack on Pearl Harbor everyone needs to know.
Immediately after the attack, just after our country declared war on Japan, the American people responded with racial hysteria, and Japanese American citizens were looked on with suspicion, fear, and even outright hatred, simply because they resembled the people who bombed Pearl Harbor.
Yeah, they were families like this one:
You'd think our country, based on the ideals of American Democracy--that all men are created equal, and have the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness--would welcome these young men and women, most of whom had never even been to Japan, into service.
But, nope. They were turned away. And as they were turned away, they were given a swift kick in the butt to add to the agonizing rejection. They were told they were the enemy, non-alien. These young AMERICANS, born and raised on American soil, were no longer American citizens, and not only that, but they'd suddenly also become the enemy.
The paranoia and hostility continued to grow until the pressure was too much for FDR, and on February 19, 1942, the President ordered that all people of Japanese descent--men, women, and children--on the west coast (where there were a large number of families of Japanese Americans) be rounded up and transferred to internment camps. Even Japanese Americans who fought bravely in WWI were forced from their homes.
I wonder how American children would view this time in history if they were asked to write an essay on what it would have been like to be a Japanese child in California when American soldiers forced their families from their home, packed them in train cars, and brought them to their new "home," a commune-like "camp," surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by soldiers in sentry towers and armed with machine guns. I've read many different perspectives on the conditions of these camps, so
I don't really know how life really was for the detainees there, but some firsthand accounts are disturbing. Some of those who were detained at these camps describe crowded conditions, bland food, and threats that they would be shot if they attempted to leave. Others report the Japanese were treated with a certain amount of dignity, fed good meals, and had daily activities to stave off the monotony. Like almost everything in life, there are different perspectives depending on the individual describing it.
The point I want to make is that these Japanese that were taken from their homes were not the Japanese that bombed Pearl Harbor. They were not the Japanese that bayoneted American soldiers. They were just like you and me, striving to make their way in the world and to provide for their families. Although I'm sure there were probably a certain amount of Japanese sympathizers, just as there are bound to be some Muslim American citizens that conspire to and commit acts of terrorism against us, the majority of the Japanese Americans were patriotic and loyal to America. Many came to begin new lives, and appreciated the freedom America offered. The majority loved the country that had welcomed them in.
George Takei, a Japanese American who became famous for his role as Mr. Sulu on Star Trek, was four years old when he and his family were plucked from their home in California and taken to an internment camp in Arkansas. He describes the ordeal as "terrifying," and recalls how machine guns were trained on him as he ran across the grass toward the toilet at night. In his innocent child's mind, he thought it was "kind of nice" of the guards in the tower to light the way by shining the searchlight on him as he "ran to pee."
There were ten camps in remote areas of seven western states. Whatever the conditions of these camps really was, maybe the most painful part of the experience was that these patriotic citizens had to live with the knowledge that they were hated and reviled in their own country, their home, the land they would willingly die for.
In today's society, we might imagine that after being subjected to such prejudice and unfounded captivity, the Japanese interns would be bitter and jaded toward the "democracy" they were forcefully subjected to. But they weren't, because fathers like George Takei's, knew what true democracy was and knew it was worth fighting for. They wouldn't give up hope. They couldn't, because their pride in this country was deeply rooted in their hearts, and nothing could take that away.
Eventually, when the military realized they had a severe shortage of manpower, the government decided to form a regiment of soldiers from the internment camps. This Infantry Regiment, the 442nd, went on to fight for our country with such bravery and patriotic valor that they were recognized as the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of American warfare.
In total, 14,000 soldiers earned 9,486 Purple Hearts, and the unit received eight Presidential Unit Citations. Twenty-one members earned Medals of Honor.
Some received their Medal of Honor a little late, but at least they were finally recognized and remembered.
What amazing hearts and souls of patriotism and bravery, that these young men went willingly into the most dangerous war zones to fight for a country that viewed them with suspicion, fear and hate.
When the 442nd returned, President Truman welcomed them on the White House lawn with genuine appreciation and deep gratitude. He said, "You fought not only the enemy...you fought prejudice and won."
What does that mean today? Is there anything to be learned from the dark corners of our American past?
Does "making America great again" mean repeating history by taking away citizenship of Americans of Muslim descent solely for resembling terrorists from other countries? Will Donald Trump's policies of hate and prejudice destroy what the 442nd accomplished? The answer to both of those questions is a resounding YES!
Replace "FDR" with "Trump" and "Japanese" with "Muslim" (or Mexicans, or Blacks, or women), and we may see a dark spot in our history repeat itself.
Yes, the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the accompanying loss of life was terrible. Yes, we should remember ALL who fought for our country during that horrible war. But we also MUST NOT FORGET that American citizens come in all races and colors and sizes and countries. Our melting pot of patriots of varying cultures are what made us "the land of the free." We are ALL simply "Americans."
We cannot let this happen. We cannot allow this ignorant, arrogant man with his promises of baseless and dehumanizing prejudice to rule our country. We CAN make a difference. Please go to change.org and sign the petition to sway the electoral college to make the right decision, the decision to allow "We, the People," to have a Commander-In-Chief that will guide our country in a forward direction, without the hostile, demeaning, and prejudiced hands of someone who would eliminate the freedom American citizens of all races and colors have fought so hard for.
5:30 pm update: I just wanted to add, that if Donald Trump does become President, I will accept it and pray he chooses his advisers wisely. I am an American, and I support our country. I have served in the military, and I'm now just another single mom striving to make the world a better place for my children and future generations.
I can't imagine how a child can look at Donald Trump as a role model to emulate. I've already heard of cases of bullying in our local schools caused by children emulating their parents behaving badly in support of their choice of Donald Trump. I don't like what I'm seeing. I don't like or support just about everything Donald Trump has ever said.
But, it is what it is. He will probably be our President for the next four years, and it's our responsibility to do our part in making the world a better place. Kindness trumps evil. Good trumps bad. We are responsible for our own actions, and nothing is gained by complaining about reality. But a great deal can be gained by making it our personal mission to make the life of someone else a little brighter every day, and to do our best to make the world a better place in the little things we do, by paying it forward when we can, and by being the example our children want to follow.
So, to make the world a better place, it may be as simple as being a better person. Mr. Rogers has once again reminded me:
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