On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 which authorized military authorities to exclude civilians from any area without trial or hearing. The order did not specify Japanese Americans--but they were the only group to be imprisoned as a result of it. On March 18, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9102 which established the War Relocation Authority with Milton Eisenhower as Director.
RELOCATION CAMPS
Pursuant to Executive Order 9102, my father, mother, both grandmothers, aunt, and 2 uncles were forcibly "relocated" to the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp, one of the ten camps run by the War Relocation Authority. Most of the 110,000 people of Japanese descent who were living in the western halves of Washington State, California, Oregon, and parts of Arizona were sent to WRA relocation camps. For the most part, families were kept together. There were schools, churches, and later people were allowed to leave, either on short term passes or permanently to relocate permanently outside the exclusion zone.
RELOCATION CAMPS
Pursuant to Executive Order 9102, my father, mother, both grandmothers, aunt, and 2 uncles were forcibly "relocated" to the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp, one of the ten camps run by the War Relocation Authority. Most of the 110,000 people of Japanese descent who were living in the western halves of Washington State, California, Oregon, and parts of Arizona were sent to WRA relocation camps. For the most part, families were kept together. There were schools, churches, and later people were allowed to leave, either on short term passes or permanently to relocate permanently outside the exclusion zone.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE INTERNMENT CAMPS
After the attack on Pearl Harbor and prior to Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, about 4,000 individuals from all over the U.S. were detained by the FBI. Over half of these were Japanese immigrants who were long-term U.S. residents denied U.S. citizenship by discriminatory laws. These Issei, now classified as "enemy aliens," were first sent to temporary detention stations, then transferred to locations known generally as "Justice Department Camps." After hearings, most of the Issei were then sent to U.S. Army internment camps where they remained through May 1943. After that time the internees were returned to Department of Justice control for the duration of the war.
Most, if not all, of the internees of war were middle-age or older men who were separated from their families. Their mail was examined. They had to write on special paper marked "Internee of war." Among these individuals were my two grandfathers, Tsunegusu Yonemoto and Tsunejiro Udo who were both sent to multiple camps during their internment.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor and prior to Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, about 4,000 individuals from all over the U.S. were detained by the FBI. Over half of these were Japanese immigrants who were long-term U.S. residents denied U.S. citizenship by discriminatory laws. These Issei, now classified as "enemy aliens," were first sent to temporary detention stations, then transferred to locations known generally as "Justice Department Camps." After hearings, most of the Issei were then sent to U.S. Army internment camps where they remained through May 1943. After that time the internees were returned to Department of Justice control for the duration of the war.
Most, if not all, of the internees of war were middle-age or older men who were separated from their families. Their mail was examined. They had to write on special paper marked "Internee of war." Among these individuals were my two grandfathers, Tsunegusu Yonemoto and Tsunejiro Udo who were both sent to multiple camps during their internment.
Fort Missoula, Montana - Department of Justice Camp
THEN:
According to the National Park Services website:
Fort Missoula was a surplus Army post located just outside of Missoula, Montana. During the 1930's it was used as a regional headquarters for the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was turned over to the Department of Justice in 1941. The first internees at the camp were 25 Japanese American Issei from Salt Lake City who arrived on December 18, 1941. By the end of 1941 there were 633 Issei held at the fort. By April 1942 there were 2,003 men, roughly half Japanese Americans and half Italian nationals. The average age of the Japanese Americans was 60. All of the Issei internees were given cursory hearings and most were then transferred to other internment camps or relocation centers. By the end of 1942 only 29 Japanese Americans were left at the fort.
NOW:
Fort Missoula is currently the largest intact WWII internment site with most major buildings of the era still in use. The Historical Museum has an exhibit on internment housed in a restored barrack and is restoring the Post Headquarters. A memorial stone is on the site.
According to the National Park Services website:
Fort Missoula was a surplus Army post located just outside of Missoula, Montana. During the 1930's it was used as a regional headquarters for the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was turned over to the Department of Justice in 1941. The first internees at the camp were 25 Japanese American Issei from Salt Lake City who arrived on December 18, 1941. By the end of 1941 there were 633 Issei held at the fort. By April 1942 there were 2,003 men, roughly half Japanese Americans and half Italian nationals. The average age of the Japanese Americans was 60. All of the Issei internees were given cursory hearings and most were then transferred to other internment camps or relocation centers. By the end of 1942 only 29 Japanese Americans were left at the fort.
NOW:
Fort Missoula is currently the largest intact WWII internment site with most major buildings of the era still in use. The Historical Museum has an exhibit on internment housed in a restored barrack and is restoring the Post Headquarters. A memorial stone is on the site.
From 1941 to 1944, Fort Missoula served as a detention center from more than 1,000 Italians, more than 1,000 Japanese, and 22 German nationals. The Italians were World's Fair Workers and civilian seamen whose ships had been impounded at the outbreak of war in Europe. The Japanese were prominent in their West Coast Communities and were considered potentially dangerous. None in either group were ever charged with being, or proven to be, enemy agents. This memorial is dedicated to those men who were interned and held a Fort Missoula without trial during Word War II
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FAMILY CONNECTION: Tsunejiro Udo was arrested on December 8, 1941 by the FBI in San Francisco. He arrived at Fort Missoula on December 18. On February 4, 1942, he is given an "enemy alien hearing." On March 24, he is ordered to be interned. On April 19, he is moved to Fort Sill. Oklahoma.
Fort Sill, Oklahoma - Department of Justice Camp & Army Facility
THEN: Fort Sill, located near Lawton, Oklahoma, was and still is an active Army base. In 1942 approximately 350 Japanese internees who were first interned at Fort Missoula were sent to Fort Sill. German prisoners of war were also held at this facility.
NOW: The Fort Sill Military Reservation is now the headquarters of the U.S. Army Field Artillery. It is not clear where on the expansive military base the Japanese Americans were held.
FAMILY CONNECTION: Tsunejiro Udo arrived at Fort Sill on April 19, 1942. By November 10, 1942, he is at Camp Livingston, Louisiana.
NOW: The Fort Sill Military Reservation is now the headquarters of the U.S. Army Field Artillery. It is not clear where on the expansive military base the Japanese Americans were held.
FAMILY CONNECTION: Tsunejiro Udo arrived at Fort Sill on April 19, 1942. By November 10, 1942, he is at Camp Livingston, Louisiana.
Camp Livingston, Louisiana - Department of Justice Camp & Army Facility
THEN: Camp Livingston was open from 1940 to 1945. It was designated as an infantry replacement training center, as well as a garrison for these infantry divisions. During World War II, thousands of Japanese, German, and Italian prisoners of war were at Camp Livingston. In addition, the camp held over 1,100 internees of Japanese ancestry sent from the Department of Justice-run Fort Missoula internment camp and from the U.S. Army-run Fort Sill and Camp Forrest internment camps. According to Densho website, the internees faced hot and humid summer months with temperatures up to 130 degrees, poisonous reptiles, and stinging insects. To gain some relief from the extreme heat, the internees of Japanese ancestry dug shallow depressions in the dirt under the barracks and rested there during the hottest hours.
NOW: Camp Livingston is part the Kisatchie National Forest, managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Recently two librarians at Louisiana State University, Hayley Johnson and Sarah Simms, have begun a scholarly study of Camp Livingston and the Japanese "enemy aliens" who were sent there. They are actively searching for information about these men. Their website, An Extended Lens, is excellent.
FAMILY CONNECTION: Tsunejiro Udo was at Camp Livingston by November 19, 1942 and stayed there until he is moved to the Santa Fe Detention Center on June 7, 1943.
NOW: Camp Livingston is part the Kisatchie National Forest, managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Recently two librarians at Louisiana State University, Hayley Johnson and Sarah Simms, have begun a scholarly study of Camp Livingston and the Japanese "enemy aliens" who were sent there. They are actively searching for information about these men. Their website, An Extended Lens, is excellent.
FAMILY CONNECTION: Tsunejiro Udo was at Camp Livingston by November 19, 1942 and stayed there until he is moved to the Santa Fe Detention Center on June 7, 1943.
Fort Lincoln, North Dakota - Department of Justice Camp
THEN: According to the National Park Service website:
Fort Lincoln was a surplus Army post located near Bismark, North Dakota. During the 1930's it was used as the state headquarters for the Civilian Conservation Corps. The first internees were Italian and German seamen who had been on Italian and German commercial ships in U.S. waters in 1939 when the war started in Europe. The first Japanese American Issei arrived in 1942, but they were soon transferred to other camps.
NOW: The site is now the home of the United Tribes Technical College. In 2003, the college organized an exhibit titled "Snow Country Prison: Interned in North Dakota." which told the story of the internment camp. College President David Gipp said "The upcoming exhibit and public programs are an outgrowth of scholarly efforts to examine and teach about the government's use of isolation and imprisonment against certain groups of people, At the core is an examination of human rights issues." The Bismark Tribune also reported on the exhibit.
Fort Lincoln was a surplus Army post located near Bismark, North Dakota. During the 1930's it was used as the state headquarters for the Civilian Conservation Corps. The first internees were Italian and German seamen who had been on Italian and German commercial ships in U.S. waters in 1939 when the war started in Europe. The first Japanese American Issei arrived in 1942, but they were soon transferred to other camps.
NOW: The site is now the home of the United Tribes Technical College. In 2003, the college organized an exhibit titled "Snow Country Prison: Interned in North Dakota." which told the story of the internment camp. College President David Gipp said "The upcoming exhibit and public programs are an outgrowth of scholarly efforts to examine and teach about the government's use of isolation and imprisonment against certain groups of people, At the core is an examination of human rights issues." The Bismark Tribune also reported on the exhibit.
FAMILY CONNECTION: Tsunegusu Yonemoto arrived at Fort Lincoln on February 26, 1942, just 13 days after his arrest by the FBI in Sunnyvale, California. On May 4, 1942, he is given an "enemy alien hearing." On July 31, he is ordered to be interned. In August, he is moved to Lordsburg, New Mexico.
Lordsburg, New Mexico - U.S. Army Facility
THEN:
According to the National Japanese American Museum website:
Lordsburg Internment Camp was located 3 miles east of Lordsburg, New Mexico. This 1,300 acre U.S. Army Facility was the only one built specifically to hold Japanese Americans. Construction on the site began in February 1942 and in July 1942, 613 first-generation Japanese Americans were transferred from Fort Lincoln. As many as 1,500 Japanese Americans were incarcerated at Lordsburg. On July 27, 1942, two Japanese Americans were shot and killed by a sentry who claimed they were attempting to escape. Though Japanese Americans testified that the two elderly men were physically disabled, the army court martial board tried and found the guard not guilty. By 1943, all Japanese Americans had been transferred to other facilities. Between 1943 and 1945, the site held up to 4,000 Italian prisoners of war. The site was closed in February 1946.
According to the National Japanese American Museum website:
Lordsburg Internment Camp was located 3 miles east of Lordsburg, New Mexico. This 1,300 acre U.S. Army Facility was the only one built specifically to hold Japanese Americans. Construction on the site began in February 1942 and in July 1942, 613 first-generation Japanese Americans were transferred from Fort Lincoln. As many as 1,500 Japanese Americans were incarcerated at Lordsburg. On July 27, 1942, two Japanese Americans were shot and killed by a sentry who claimed they were attempting to escape. Though Japanese Americans testified that the two elderly men were physically disabled, the army court martial board tried and found the guard not guilty. By 1943, all Japanese Americans had been transferred to other facilities. Between 1943 and 1945, the site held up to 4,000 Italian prisoners of war. The site was closed in February 1946.
NOW: According to the National Park Service website, there is very little mark the site of the internment camp. But there is a New Mexico historic highway marker which reads in part:
Near this site the U.S. Army operated a camp during World War II. It opened as an internment camp for the Japanese and Japanese-American civilians from 1942-43. It later reopened as the Lordsburg Prisoner of War Camp for Germans and Italians from 1943-45.
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In November of 2015, New Mexico State University hosted a panel discussion “Confinement in the Land of Enchantment: The Untold Story of a Prison Camp in New Mexico.” People are beginning to be interested in this sad episode in American History.
FAMILY CONNECTION: Tsunegusu Yonemoto was arrested on February 13, 1942 by the FBI in Sunnyvale, California. After a stay in fort Lincoln, North Dakota, he arrived at Lordsburg around August 10, 1942, and stayed until June 16, 1943 when he is sent to the Santa Fe Detention Center.
FAMILY CONNECTION: Tsunegusu Yonemoto was arrested on February 13, 1942 by the FBI in Sunnyvale, California. After a stay in fort Lincoln, North Dakota, he arrived at Lordsburg around August 10, 1942, and stayed until June 16, 1943 when he is sent to the Santa Fe Detention Center.
Santa Fe Detention Center - Department of Justice Camp
THEN: According to the Densho and National Park Service websites: In February 1942 the Department of Justice acquired an 80-acre site from the New Mexico State Penitentiary. The camp operated in several phases. The first phase was as a temporary detention facility that held 826 Japanese immigrants from California who were sent to relocation camps or transferred to Army custody by September 1942. The next phase began in February 1943 and included internees transferred from U.S. Army camps as well as the so-called "troublemakers" from the Tule Lake segregation center.
NOW: All traces of the camp disappeared in the fifties when developers replaced barracks and old buildings with new homes. In 2002, a six and 1/4 ton granite boulder with a descriptive plaque was placed above the site of the former camp. Stories about the dedication ceremony and other stories and photos can be found at a website called ManyMountains.org.
NOW: All traces of the camp disappeared in the fifties when developers replaced barracks and old buildings with new homes. In 2002, a six and 1/4 ton granite boulder with a descriptive plaque was placed above the site of the former camp. Stories about the dedication ceremony and other stories and photos can be found at a website called ManyMountains.org.
FAMILY CONNECTION: Tsunegusu Yonemoto arrived at the Santa Fe Detention Center on June 16, 1943. The next day he is paroled. On July 10, 1943 he is reunited with his family at the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp.
Tsunejiro Udo arrived at the Santa Fe Detention Center on July 7, 1943. He is paroled. On January 24, 1944 he is reunited with his family at the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp.
Tsunejiro Udo arrived at the Santa Fe Detention Center on July 7, 1943. He is paroled. On January 24, 1944 he is reunited with his family at the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp.