PAINFUL LESSONS
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PAGE 7
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PERSEVERANCE
Many Eugene school children have also heard from and imagined themselves in the place of Bob Kono, a longtime Eugene resident. (Click here to see his interview) Like many of those swept up in the internment then nine-year-old Bob was a child when his family was torn apart in Torrance, California in 1942. His father, Isamu, a Japanese citizen, had lived in the U.S. for 15 years but was considered an enemy alien after Pearl Harbor and was arrested by the FBI. His family did not see him for the rest of the war.
Masuko Kono, Bob’s mother, had been born in Santa Cruz, California, and like Bob, had never traveled to Japan and spoke little Japanese. Both were American citizens. Nevertheless, when the internment began, Masuko and Bob were moved to Gila River, an Arizona internment camp. A request from Masuko to be reunited with relatives was fulfilled by a transfer to a camp in Heart Mountain, Wyoming.
Life in Heart Mountain, as in most other camps, proved well ordered, if monotonous. Taking care of the children of the camp quickly became one of the organizing principles for the thousands of professionals isolated in far flung parts of the country. Schools were set up in barracks halls and Boy Scout troops were created, along with football and baseball teams. Ice skating rinks were built in winter and art exhibits were held, all to defy their imprisonment. Bob played left field during Heart Mountain baseball games. Still, parents lived in fear with rumors swirling through camps of internees who defied the barbed wire perimeter and were shot by guards from the watchtowers that dominated every camp skyline.
But still patriotism thrived amongst internees. The national anthem began every sporting event. Visits from Japanese-American war veterans lead to surges of war bonds purchases through camp, with families spending hard-won savings to demonstrate their willingness to sacrifice for the country.
As the years passed and the war wound down, long separated families were reunited. Bob’s family met again in 1946. It was then that Bob and his mother learned of Isamu’s decision to return to Japan rather than attempt to reintegrate into the nation that had imprisoned them. While the vast majority of internees stayed in the U.S. after the war, some chose repatriation to Japan. Though Masuko disagreed with the decision, she deferred to her husband and thirteen-year-old Bob found himself on a round-bottom troop transport leaving Los Angeles.
Masuko Kono, Bob’s mother, had been born in Santa Cruz, California, and like Bob, had never traveled to Japan and spoke little Japanese. Both were American citizens. Nevertheless, when the internment began, Masuko and Bob were moved to Gila River, an Arizona internment camp. A request from Masuko to be reunited with relatives was fulfilled by a transfer to a camp in Heart Mountain, Wyoming.
Life in Heart Mountain, as in most other camps, proved well ordered, if monotonous. Taking care of the children of the camp quickly became one of the organizing principles for the thousands of professionals isolated in far flung parts of the country. Schools were set up in barracks halls and Boy Scout troops were created, along with football and baseball teams. Ice skating rinks were built in winter and art exhibits were held, all to defy their imprisonment. Bob played left field during Heart Mountain baseball games. Still, parents lived in fear with rumors swirling through camps of internees who defied the barbed wire perimeter and were shot by guards from the watchtowers that dominated every camp skyline.
But still patriotism thrived amongst internees. The national anthem began every sporting event. Visits from Japanese-American war veterans lead to surges of war bonds purchases through camp, with families spending hard-won savings to demonstrate their willingness to sacrifice for the country.
As the years passed and the war wound down, long separated families were reunited. Bob’s family met again in 1946. It was then that Bob and his mother learned of Isamu’s decision to return to Japan rather than attempt to reintegrate into the nation that had imprisoned them. While the vast majority of internees stayed in the U.S. after the war, some chose repatriation to Japan. Though Masuko disagreed with the decision, she deferred to her husband and thirteen-year-old Bob found himself on a round-bottom troop transport leaving Los Angeles.