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Enemies Abroad, Discrimination at Home
Before boarding a boat home to Hawaii, a young Daniel Inouye, wearing his uniform proudly adorned with captain’s bars and ribbons, walked into a barbershop in Oakland, California hoping to get a haircut.
“Are you a Jap?” the barber asked.
“I’m an American,” Inouye replied.
“Well, I’m asking you, are you a Jap?” the barber repeated.
After Inouye explained that his parents were Japanese, the barber promptly said, “We don’t cut Jap hair.”
Like former Hawaii senator Inouye, Asian Americans have faced discrimination during and after serving in the United States military. This history of inequality, going back as far as the Civil War, is exemplified during World War II by the experiences of Japanese Americans. Terry Shima, a 96-year-old World War II veteran born and raised in Hawaii, recounted the incident at the barber shop. Shima served with Inouye in the 4 42nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated Japanese American unit, and vividly remembers the racism he and his colleagues faced as they served our country. In December 1941, Shima was one of 5,000 Nisei, second-generation Japanese Americans, drafted into the U.S. Army. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. This order required Americans of Japanese descent to be held at internment camps, creating a “stigma of disloyalty,” as phrased by Shima. Approximately 117,000 people were relocated even though a majority of them were American citizens. Nevertheless, Japanese Americans dutifully served in the U.S. military while friends and family were interned, often dealing with discrimination in an unwelcoming American society. “My colleagues encountered humiliating experiences of racism,” Shima said. “Soldiers reported going to restaurants, resplendent in uniforms with rows and rows of ribbons and badges displayed on their uniforms, and not being served.” Japanese Americans were frequently called “Japs” as an ethnic slur. According to Shima, when the 442nd Regimental Combat Team trained at Camp Shelby in Mississippi, local youths would holler “Japs” at the Nisei soldiers. Overseas, fellow American soldiers would also use the slur.
“Nisei were derisively called ‘Japs’ by Caucasian G.I.s in the Pacific War,” Shima said. “This happened during the early phase of our arrival. Towards the end of the war, soldiers were aware of our war record and we were treated with respect. Because of the way Nisei helped win battles and save American lives, the same G.I.s were the Japanese Americans’ strongest supporters to fight racism on the home front.” racial prejudice, wartime hysteria and a failure of political leadership.” After his service in the Army, Shima worked in the U.S. Foreign Service for 30 years. “I am proud to be an American and to have served my career in the U.S. diplomatic service,” Shima said. serving even when their countrymen have made them feel unwelcome. Stories like Shima’s and Duplechin’s inform today’s youth of the struggles Asian American soldiers have endured to ensure modernday freedoms. It further sets forth a goal for us to rightfully honor and recognize their sacrifices, achievements and contributions to pave the way for a more equal society in our diverse nation.
After the conclusion of World War II in 1945, the fight wasn’t over for Japanese Americans. According to the Japanese American Veterans Association, “14,000 Nisei served in the combat zones in Europe and the Pacific, and another 17,000 Nisei soldiers, men and women, served stateside to prove their loyalty.”
Recognition by President Harry Truman helped confirm Nisei loyalty to the American public and facilitate social acceptance, Shima said. In 1946, President Truman positively reviewed the Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team. When asked how he overcame adversity in the face of racism, Shima replied, “Time, education, capitalizing on opportunities. Just plain hard work.”
In 2013, Shima received the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal, the secondhighest civilian award in the nation. In recent years, Asian American veterans have received recognition for their military service, including Filipino and Chinese American World War II veterans. These veterans paved the way for future generations of Asian Americans in the military.
“You fought the enemy abroad and prejudice at home and you won,” Truman stated at the White House Ellipse, addressing the returning Japanese American soldiers. Shima credited Truman for major government reforms that provided support for veterans and allowed minorities to compete for any job or rank. “Nisei World War II veterans were able to go to college on the G.I. Bill,” Shima said. Utilizing new opportunities to further their education, Japanese American veterans rebuilt their lives in a thriving postwar society and raised their children to build upon the legacy of previous generations. “The children won elected positions at the local, state and national levels,” Shima said. “They were selected for promotions to general and admiral ranks, cabinet secretaries. Their story is the story of the greatness of America.” More than 40 years after the last internment camp was closed, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 granted reparations to Japanese Americans interned by the government during World War II. President Ronald Reagan also issued a formal apology for the incarceration. The act admitted that the actions of the U.S. government were “motivated largely by Concordiajo Duplechin is a 31-year-old Filipina American veteran, now residing in Ocala, Florida. She served stateside during the Iraq War. Unlike Shima, Duplechin’s struggles were not connected to her Asian background. “I didn’t feel I was discriminated against for my race, but I did have difficulty in regards to my gender,” Duplechin said. Duplechin stated that her direct supervisor “did not feel that females belonged in the military.” After speaking with an outranking officer, Duplechin was able to move forward with proceedings that removed her direct supervisor from his position. Clearly, although incredible progress has been made, there is still more to be done in order to cement all forms of equality in the United States and further right the wrongs of the past. “You don’t see a lot of Asian Americans serving in the military, so when there are, it’s very heartwarming for me,” Duplechin said. “I feel that it is very important for everybody to realize it doesn’t matter what race we are — we’re still part of the human race, we’re still Americans at the end of the day. Take pride in being American, honor the flag and protect our freedoms.” Asian American veterans have left a legacy of resilience in the face of discrimination, 10 | fall 2019 I feel that it is very important for everybody to realize it doesn’t matter what race we are — we’re still part of the human race, we’re still Americans at the end of the day.
