Betrayed by America: The Story of Attack On Pearl Harbor

Don’t let people come in and out of your life. Just pay attention to whom you let in. In Kristin Lewis’ article “Betrayed by America,” she informs us about what and why this time period happened. Hiroshi Shishima “Bill” was alive during this time. Americans will no longer have any trust in foreigners, Japanese Americans, or illegal immigrants of any kind, not after having to forcefully move the Japanese Americans out of their homes and take away their land/property.

During the time of Pearl Harbor, around 127,000 Japanese Americans lived in the mainland U.S., mostly in California. After the bombing, many members of the public and the media began calling for anyone of Japanese ancestry. Citizen or not, to be removed from the West Coast. Many argued about sentiments that went against everything in the U.S. and stood for our principles of equality and justice. Others insisted that because it was a time of war, extreme measures were justified.

As Hiroshi Shishima’s life gets older, our country becomes worse and worse by the minute. Japanese-Americans and Germans try to invade America slowly. On the morning of December 7, 1941, something happened that would change America’s trust in other foreign countries or immigrants forever. Japan launched a massive surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, a U.S. military base in Hawaii. Causing Japanese-Americans to be forcefully rushed or moved out of their homes. The U.S. troop would also take their land or property.

Rumors often flew around that Americans were loyal to japan. They were spies from Japan, planning another surprise attack on American soil. No evidence was found that such rumors were true. In January 1942, a military report stated that less than 3 percent of Japanese Americans posed a potential threat to the U.S. Authorities were already monitoring those individuals. As news came about the gruesome battles and the growing number of casualties in the war, fear about Japanese Americans turned to panic.

After the war was over, Bill, his parents, and his three siblings crowded into one sparsely furnished room. The walls did little to shield from the frigid Wyoming winds and snow, which tended to start in September and last through April. Every day there were humiliations that shame Bill even now. He hated bathing in the one-room shower, with its eight showerheads and no privacy. Barracks were cramped and poorly constructed. Dust and dirt were constantly invading.

Letters were screened, meals were served at appointed times, and protests were swiftly squashed. Still, many tried to make the best of their time in imprisonment. They had lost their freedom, their jobs, and their homes. They carried on with honor and dignity. They took pride in making their barracks as beautiful as they could. Children attempted camp schools and formed baseball teams. Today, Bill is in his nineties. He feels a special responsibility to tell the story of what happened during World War II.

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