On Friday, our class got the opportunity to talk to Mr. Doi, Lia's grandfather. He was a Japanese American who was interned in the United States. His story was very different. Mr. Doi grew up in a neighborhood where he didn't experience a lot of racism, so when the Japanese Americans were interned, he was really confused about why it was happening. When all of this was going on, people would say things like "you bombed us" and he would say "no, we didn't". I agree with his answer, "no" because he didn't bomb the U.S. he was living in the United States, not in Japan, and even if he did live in Japan doesn't mean that he was a part of the bombing. He was young and about to start high school, he was just living his life until he noticed that things were changing. The fact that everything could be so normal until one thing happens and then the whole world thinks of you in a bad way confused him, it would have confused me too. Another thing that interested me was that $20,000 was given to Japanese families after the war but for some people it wasn't enough. According to Mr. Doi, it depends on what you had before the war, some families had farms so the reparations that were given was not enough at, but for people who started with nothing, $20,000 was more than enough. I'm very grateful for getting the chance to listen to a story that not many people get here here about it first hand.

Our threads class had a privilege to have Mr. Doi, Lia's grandfather, come talk to our class about his life before, during, and after in an internment camp called tule Lake. I was honored that we got to experience his story. As a child, Mr. Doi lived in a town where there was any harsh separation with racism. But after the attack of Pearl Harbor, by the Japanese, tensions stared getting worse. The Americans leadereds were the suddenly scared that Japanese-Americans could be spy's and they sent them all to internment camps. He talked about how they eventually adapted to the living conditions over the long three years but he never understood why they were being put into camps. After they we're let out, he explained how many people had no idea where to go and some peoples houses were even burnt down by white Americans. But feeling somewhat bad for what they did to the Japanese, they gave them $20,000 to start a new life with. Many families took the money but some didn't cause they felt so betrayed to their own country but even though it wasn't a lot it was better that nothing. 

Mr. Doi

    Mr. Doi gave a personal yet informative talk last Friday. He first described his life before the internment camps, which was already very interesting. The Japanese-Americans of his generation were some of the first to finally feel fully accepted into American culture. Unfortunately, Pearl Harbor changed that, although Mr. Doi described how he was lucky enough to live in a Japanese-American dominated commnity, which allowed him to avoid most of the harsh prejudice many others were subject to. As Mr. Doi entered the camp, he felt a sense of betrayal: What kind of country locks up its own citizens on no charges at all? Regarding leaving the camp, the feeling must have been strange; After living somewhere for three entire years, one must return to a life they once had with nothing to go back to. The only thing close to an apology the Japanese-Americans received was a reparation of $20,000, which in some cases come nowhere near to the amount lost by some. According to Mr. Doi, the reparations could only be made fairly if each individual person was given the money's worth from what they lost. Some had lost much more or much less than others.

On Friday, Lia's grandfather, Mr. Doi told us about his experience during his speech he told us about his; childhood, Pearl Harbor/ his family's reaction to it, camp life, integrating back into society , reparations, and his life today. Mr. Doi was interned when he was starting high school and that's when he knew things were getting worse. He was friends with people at his school who had different races and it was hard for him to adjust. He even planned a pool party once but couldn't attend his own party because he is Japanese. At the time of Pearl Harbor everyone would say to him and his family 'you bombed us' and he would say 'no they bombed us'. In the camps, Mr. Doi made many lasting relationships with the people he was interned with and out of this awful experience he made some great friendships. After they were released from the camps it was hard for a lot of people to get back into the swing of things because some people had lost their houses, jobs and families. When it came to repararations, Mr. Doi thinks that depending on the family and how much they lost that's how much they should be repaid. And some people did refuse the payment. In conclusion, it was very beneficial to have a personal perspective of the Japanese internment than just reading about it I am thankful for this experience.

Mr. Doi and what I heard

Having Mr. Doi come and talk to my class was very intrigueing and I very much enjoyed it. Listening to his personal story and the hardships that he had to go through even though he was innocent and had done nothing wrong was crazy. It just showed me that people obviously make mistakes. His childhood to me was a really powerful part of when he talked I thought. I think its because then he was still growing up and didn't know what to think of the situation and also he probably couldn't have   understood the reality of it.  When Mr. Doi talked about Pearl Harbor he made it seem kinda humoris because he thought it was funny that his own country would turn on their own.  Thats kind of a sad thing to think about especially since our country is supposed to be united. Camp life for him he made seem not terrible. It sounded like the people who ran the camps tried to keep them busy and educated.  Life seemed to be the worst though for the Japanese after the war because some had to start from scratch and had nothing. Also some people were still against the Japanese living in America so they got discriminated against still. I feel like Mr. Doi got cheated and wasn't payed enough for what had happened to him and his family.

Mr. Doi's Presentation

Mr. Doi's story was very interesting, his stories and answers to questions of what were the camps like were very informative. How they spent great amounts of their day playing sports because, they had nothing else to do in the camps. I thought it was also interesting when he mentioned the questions given to people in the camps about going to war, and their allegiance to the Japanese emperor. People didn't answer the question because, they had no idea what people were talking about and fought it offensive to be asked to go to war when being imprisoned. He also said that many still volunteered to fight even though they were interned because, they felt that is twas their duty to serve and protect their country. Mr. Doi's presentation was very informative on the views, feelings, and activities taken by people interned in the camps.

Stories vary as to what life was like as a Japanese-American prior to, during, and after World War II. One story in particular was that of Mr. Doi's, a Japanese-American that lived through World War II. He focused on the topic of Japanese internment which I found intriguing and unique. First off, Mr. Doi made it clear that the war in the Pacific and more specifically the attack on Pearl Harbor had established the common societal belief that all Japanese-American citizens were spies and enemies. Before Mr. Doi and his family had been rounded up, he explains how society's paranoia and hatred towards the entire Japanese race at the time had made him and many others seem as if they were the targets of discrimination. He clarified the idea that it was unjust and unfair that a group of citizens who had legally integrated into society as Americans were now being told on the executive order of 9066 to pack what they could carry and leave their house in two weeks to then be sent to “concentration camps”. What I found very interesting was that Mr. Doi chose to use the words “concentration camps” rather than “internment camps” mainly because as a class we have been studying the use of both terms. Mr. Doi may have used the term “concentration camps” in association to Japanese internment to point out how inhumane the internment of an entire race was considering the Nazi regime in Germany had done the same thing, but I feel that most likely the use of “concentration camps” was a much more common term at the time. Lastly, the Japanese-American’s resilience within the camps despite a rough environment for nearly three years was moving. The fact that they were able to establish education and popular pastimes within an excuse of a home is inspiring. Mr. Doi’s experience has spoken out to me and many others, and I am very glad I was able to witness such a moving story.

Listening to Mr. Doi's experience is something I will remember for a long time. Not very many people get the opurtunity to meet and hear a story from a Japanese man interned in the United States. When Mr. Doi was growing up he was fortunate to grow up in a neighborhood where he barely experienced any racism at all. Mr. Doi said that he didn't blame FDR for the internment camps when FDR was the one who ordered the Japanese to be held there. I don't understand how America could do this to the Japanese when there was not even one bit of evidence showing that they were spy's. It  breaks most of the amendments in our constitution. After the Japanese were released there was no home for them. Some got lucky and their neighboors watched their belonging and house for them. This reminds me of at the end of Schindlers list when Schindler leaves, releasing the Jews, the Jews had no where to go.  If they went back into the city, the racism would be terrible for the Jews and I'm sure it was almost the same for the Japanese. Mr. Doi didn't have much intersest in the money because money cannot buy his childhood back. He lost 3 years of his high school life which everyone in this world should life to their fullest, he although could not because he was in a camp. I feel very lucky being able to learn about Japanese internment and especially being able to hear about the experiences first hand from a very inspirational man.

It was a privilege to have Mr. Doi take the time out of his day and speak to us about his life, not just in the internment camps, but his life both post and pre-internment, and also, a byproduct was a few life lessons learned. Not everyone gets to listen to such a story. It was like listening to the Holocaust speaker that came in to talk to the Stanley eighth graders last year. It was powerful and motivational. As a child, Mr. Doi was fortunate enough to live in a town where he was not exposed to the harsh racism and segregation that existed in other areas towards minorities, take the South as an example. Yet, nature took its course and the different races began to separate and the color line became more and more defined, where before, it had been blurred by perhaps some sort of innocence and youth. Pearl Harbor was the event that just clarified that line to the max. It was and still is some sort of a dream to be able to erase that line and set our differences in skin, religion, or culture aside. The line is drawn in permanent ink: it will only slowly and gradually go away. The only way to speed up the process of erasing the line is by finding that unique solution. In my opinion, that very solution is the help of people like Mr. Doi to try to make us see what happens when the line becomes too defined. However, as Mr. Doi said, there are unfortunately less and less people like him every year. Thus, it is our job to say, "Never Forget" to Japanese Internment, not just the Holocaust.

The way Mr. Doi chronicled his story was rather interesting to me. I expected much more time going into detail about his time in Heart Mountain, but I now realize that this was to further emphasize the point that people were taken out of existence for three years and placed back into society with a sour wish of good luck from the government. Internment might have been over, but racism was still alive and well. It was hard to get a job or even some place to stay. People they had trusted turned into thieves and had their houses and property burned and destroyed. And then, there was the $20,000. Mr. Doi was indifferent on the matter, but I honestly don't think any amount of money is equivalent to time. All the struggle up to that point, all the toil to get where they wanted, and only to have it all taken away. $20,000 just isn't enough. Even so, it's better than nothing.

I though it was really intriguing listening to Mr. Doi talk about his experiences in the internment camps. I found it interesting that, when he was talking his about his childhood, he was unaware of racism because in today's society, is nearly unthinkable. When Mr. Doi said that he doesn't blame the interment camps on FDR I was shocked. I was shocked because personally if that had happened to me and my family, I would be angry that the President of my country didn't step in and say that this is not the right thing to do in this certain situation. I found it especially disappointing due to the title given to American, The Home of The Free. If you are free then why have all your rights been taken away from you and have put into camps with terrible living conditions. Also, when Mr. Doi was describing what it was like to be taught in the internment camps and how 3 years of his life had been wasted in the camps. When he talked about how there was a partial education system but it was weak and not really educational at all. Mr. Doi said that after the Americans were released form the internment camps everybody didn't know where "home" was anymore. Since they all had sold all their belongings they had nearly nothing  and that most of them went to San Francisco. I thought it was interesting that he kept on calling the camps concentration camps instead internment camps, he made a valid point that he calls them this name because they did concentrate many people to certain areas. I thought it was really fascinating how Mr. Doi said that whenever he comes across another elderly Japanese American that he asks them what camp they were in. Overall, I enjoyed listening to Mr. Doi speak about his experiences in the interment camps.

The story Mr. Doi shared with us gave me a new perspective on the Japanese internment camps.  Mr. Doi had a normal life in rural California and was friends with people of different races as well growing up. Since the town he grew up in had many Japanese-American families there really wasn't much anti-Asian racism. The racism in Mr. Doi's town started after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. It was then when the racism there became more intense. Even though FDR was the president that allowed order 9066, Mr. Doi didn't have negative feelings towards him at all. Camp life was difficult to adjust to for various reasons. They felt that America was there country too and that the government  had betrayed them. Also, in the concentration camps the people were only allowed to bring what they could carry in there arms. In the camps there were a number of activities that the people there could do. The schools there first had teachers who were college graduates but later on there were professional teachers there. Adjusting to life after camp was difficult especially financially. Before they were forced into the camps, people had to either sell their belongings and properties for unreasonably low prices. The other option was to take a risk and trust someone with your things and properties and hope they give it back afterwards. Mr. Doi said that the reparations did not make up for their placement in the concentration camps but most still accepted the checks. Today, the camps still affect the people who were in them many years ago. One thing I found interesting was how Mr. Doi said that one of the first questions a Japanese-American asks another is what camp they were in. I'm very grateful to have listened to a first hand account of what it was like in the internment camps.

Mr. Doi's story taught me a lot of things that I didn't expect to hear. The harshness of anti-Japanese racism in America when he was growing up shocked me, I never really knew the severity of it before. Hearing what it felt like learning about Pearl Harbor for the first time from someone who was actually alive at the time made me think about how I would react to a major attack in my lifetime (as I am too young to remember the 9/11 attacks). Specifically the way he repeatedly mentioned how he was American in every way but appearance, it made it obvious how betrayed he felt by his country. When he talked about his life in the camp, it amazed me how harsh the conditions were and how strong the Japanese Americans were in overcoming them. And even after the hard camp life was over, the challenge had only just begun for Mr. Doi and the other interned people. Getting back to a normal lifestyle when you had lost everything before you were forced to move and stay away from the outside world for up to 3 years can be harder than anything most Americans today face. I was also amazed at how forgiving he was of FDR and how he was so grateful for the reparations despite the small sum. Even while he was feeling betrayed he was also very forgiving, which was not something he owed at all the American people after his experiences.

Reflection on Mr. Doi's Experiences

After inventively listening to Mr. Doi's past life experiences, it allowed to me to really understand what happened in the camps and how they affected people's futures. As a child, Mr. Doi was not affected by race and it did not play a role in his life, but as he got older moving into high school, racial groups started to form and things started to change. When the Pearl Harbor attack took place, racial things really started to heat up and the change became noticeable for him. People moved towards more extreme segregation from Japanese, and eventually they were put into camps. Mr. Doi described camp as a time he got closer to his fellow Japanese as they went through many hardships together. After internment, these relationships with his fellow internees allowed him to have companions to help him cope with the post-war racism. The calmness Mr. Doi has while recalling his story demonstrates how he has matured and now understands the horrific past.

Listening to Mr. Doi's story allowed me to realize the severity of Japanese Internment. One specific childhood story that stuck out to me was when he brought food to a pool party, but the kids would not let him stay and have a good time (due to his race), so they kicked him out. After Mr. Doi said this it showed me how these racist thoughts surfaced and how they would make something so awful seem so casual. When Mr. Doi described the extreme anger and hatred the Americans had for the Japanese and Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor, I had immediate empathy for the Japanese-Americans. It's horrific that the United States would immediately blame the Japanese-Americans. That behavior reminds me of the Jim Crow south way back and the "one drop" rule, saying you are only the slightest bit of African American ("one drop") you are automatically African American. I was shocked when he described camp and high school life. I was not aware of the organized activities, but I'm happy they had those in order to keep the kids occupied. Integrating back into society must of been tough. Those people had everything taken away from them, and now they had to adjust and get back into their daily lifestyles and routines. The $20,000 in reparations was definitely not enough. Yes, the money was a head start after leaving the camps and having nothing, but for all of the possessions taken away from them it does not compare. I think it is great that Mr. Doi still keeps in touch with people from the camps. It really shows the close bond they have together and it's great that there is at least one positive outcome from such a negative situation. This reminds me of what happened in Hiroshima. Even though the bomb was something so horrific, it pulled the community even closer together. I am really happy that Mr. Doi came and spoke to us. I learned a lot that I was not aware of before and it was awesome to hear the story from the perspective of someone who actually experienced the event.

Listening to Mr. Doi speak about his experiences in the internment camp, I got a better understanding of what happened and what the Japanese Americans had to go through.  He began by describing his childhood, normal as any other American kid. He said that when he was in middle school, the kids at school didn't pay attention to other races and culture, but when he continued to high school, people began to separate into groups based on race. When the bomb was dropped on Pearl Harbor, all Americans were angered, including Japanese Americans, however, the people of America turned and looked at Japanese Americans as the enemy even though they felt the same way as the rest of the Americans. FDR signed the 9066 which forced all Japanese Americans into concentration camps out of fear that one of them could be spying. He said dispite how horrible the camps were, there were schools so he could continue his studies, and they offered various sports and activities to participate in so he could stay active and have something to do. Mr. Doi spent three years at the camp with his family and when they were finally released, it was difficult to get back into normal life because they losses all of their possessions. A lot of the Japanese Americans lossed businesses that they worked for all of their life and then suddenly had nothing. To compensate for all of these people who had no money of possessions, reparations took place. Each individual who was interned received 20,000 dollars to "make-up" the damage caused, but the amount was minuscule in comparison to the wreckage it had caused the families. In fact, some even refused the money because they saw it as an insult to get so little money when they had lossed everything. Though it was not nearly enough to repair the lives of the Japanese Americans, it was not an unsubstantial amount of money, and did help those who accepted it get back on their feet. One of the positive things about it was how they lived to close to one another, they became good friends with those around them. Each year, a convention is held to meet and reconnect with their internees, but as people get older, the convention gets smaller because their are few still remaining who endured the camps. After hearing his personal story, I felt a deeper empathy for him and all of the other Japanese Americans who were forced to live through such harsh conditions.

Listening to Mr. Doi speak was an experience I had never had before. His childhood seemed mostly typical, until the 8th grade when racism against Japanese became more serious. The 9066 order declared that all Japanese Americans were to be put in camps. I was shocked that they were blamed if they did something and accused if they didn't do anything because it was considered suspicious. They were given about 2 weeks to prepare to go to the camps which isn't a lot of time. They were also given a short survey about their opinions and were divided into camps based on their results. After being released from the camps, Mr. Doi grew a strong bond with many of the other Japanese Americans. However, a lot lost their homes and nearly lost everything. Although they were provided with $20,000, the amount of loss they went through is not easily covered by that amount of money. Mr. Doi is still thankful for the money because it's better than nothing. Mr. Doi's story really helped me understand the experience Japanese Americans had during the hard times.

By listening to Mr Doi's experience, it made the time period and its events very realistic. It gave me a whole new personal perspective that could only be achieved by a first-hand account. During Mr. Doi's childhood, he had friends of different races and was treated as an equal throughout elementary and middle school. As soon as he started high school however, those feelings towards him drastically changed as a result of the Pearl Harbor attack. Friends started to avoid him in fear that he was an enemy solely based on the appearance of his face. His family was alarmed since they only had two weeks to pack before they were interned in the concentration camp. Mr. Doi found it extremely difficult to leave behind all of his belongings beside the few he could carry with him. He did not view FDR as a criminal for the unjust action and believes he is a hero. While taking high school classes in camp, he experienced quality teachers but limited supplies. In his down time, there were sports to play with the other children including baseball and table tennis. After Mr. Doi was released in 1945,  he found it difficult to return to normal life. He explained the two types of neighbors--those who looked safely after the abandoned house and belongings and those who stole everything. At this time the Japanese were not repaid in any form from the government, which made the transition even more difficult. Finally in 1983, each Japanese person who was interned was granted $20,000 from the government in an attempt to cover up the horrible memories and all that was lost. Like others, Mr. Doi is grateful for the repayment, but knows it is not even close to the amount of money his family and others lost. 31 years later, Mr. Doi sill feels cheated of three years of his life and hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets that were stolen long ago. Surprisingly, he continues to have a positive attitude on life and is focused on the future. In addition, he's been able to see friends he made in the camp at reunions throughout the years in Las Vegas, which is always a fun time. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to hear Mr. Doi speak in person and I will treasure the memories forever.      

Mr. Doi's story was very inspiring and gave me a new outlook on the internment camps. Growing up, Mr. Doi explained how he lived in the rural portion of California, with a majority Japanese-American families. It surprised me that at that time there were still lynchings, and burnings of China Towns, as well as white families who did not want their children associating with different raced kids at their high school. Before Pear Harbor, Mr. Doi was not aware of the racism in his community, and thought that others believed that he was as American as everyone else. The turning point of his life was Pearl Harbor, when many Americans, even the President turned on him in their time of need. Even his neighbors accused his family and many other innocent Japanese of attacking the US, and his response was like every other; "we didn't bomb you, they bombed us." After being condemned of espionage, and 9066 was enforced, the Doi family was given 2 weeks to evacuate since they lived within 200 miles of the coast. They were herded like animals by men with rifles, and felt betrayed by their own country because they were being forced from their homes with no allegations or logical reasons. I was surprised to hear that Mr. Doi had no hard feelings toward FDR, and especially Eleanor Roosevelt who apparently was empathetic towards the Japanese, and made sure that they would be treated with respect upon returning to their homes. It was also strange to hear that once in the camps, the high school teachers treated them with respect and were tolerant and open-minded towards the children. Many students went to the American schools, because they did not want anything to do with the Japanese culture, due to their experience in how people treated them. After the three years in the camp, many of whom had no time to make arrangements for their possessions during the 2 weeks or less notice, had nothing to come back to after they were released. Some gave their furniture to neighbors who sold them  and stole their valuables. It must have been hard for those with untrustworthy neighbors, especially those who lost everything they owned. Mr. Doi felt that the reparations, although not enough to replace everything they lost, helped them integrate back into normal life with more ease than without it. I am happy for Mr. Doi today to know that his family has been treated well, and that he still keeps in touch with those who suffered with him through the internment camps and that he has strong bonds with many Japanese-Americans. I really enjoyed listening to Mr. Doi's experience in the internment camps, and hearing his journey really changed my view of what we did to the innocent Japanese-Americans.

Listening to Mr. Doi's story was a fresh perspective. His childhood was normal and mosty unaffected by racism prior to pearl harbor, and the internment of the Japanese. While in camp, I was interested how easily the internees adapted to the new, restricted life in the camps. It was also intruiging to find out how some internees have stayed connectedafter sharing three years together. As the camps began being shut down, and the internees, it amazed me how the United Sates expected them to return to their normal lives, when most had little to nothing left of their belongings, and no where to call home. Just as suddenly as anti Japanese feelings and racism began, it was interesting how quickly it ceased. mr. Doi made an interesting point that even though the reparations did not compensate for the amount of loss, rarley anyone refused it, which just proves how much the internees lost. Mr. doi moved on and past his life as an internee and doesn't talk that much about his experience which I believe is admirable and proves how forgiving and loyal he is to the government's treatment of the internees. I was very greatful for having the opportunity to hear Mr. Doi's story.

Hearing Mr. Doi recount his life in terms of Japanese internment was a really different experience. Normally, when you hear about Japanese internment, it is a hard debate regarding the morals of the event. However, when Mr. Doi recounted it, it wasn't just about the internment. It was first about his life as a Japanese, and then the internment was a point in his life, not his whole life. This I found unique about his perspective. As a child, his life really wasn't affected much by race, which makes a bigger point later on that society is weak and people are followers. The older he got, natural progression took its course and groups began to form in the younger community. The way Mr. Doi put it, racial segregation was inevitable, even without the war in the Pacific. Finally, Pearl Harbor took place and the segregation sped up and increased to a point of Japanese internment. While Mr. Doi didn't give extensive details into the camps, I was interested to find out that families were split among the camps, but not by force. It was by their opinion of the survey, if they would fight for their captors and if they would completely forgo loyalty to their culture. This clearly shows how various the perspectives and opinions of the internees were. Following internment, I feel that one of the greatest impacts the internment was the lasting relationships formed with fellow internees, companions with which he could try to survive the extreme racism following World War II. And following the war, he then had comrades to reminisce with, people who understood his feelings. The ease with which Mr. Doi retold his story represents further his maturity and composure through such an intense and scary situation.

Listening to Mr. Doi share his experiences gave me a broadened my understanding of what life was liking during the Japanese interment and how the people felt. He began his story when he was a kid and living in a farming society along with people of other nationalities. His family has lived in America for over five generations and Mr. Doi was born and raised in California. As a kid, Mr. Doi had friends of different ethnicity, and did many things with them. He played sports with them and had classes with the same kids. He was acutely aware of all the racism around him but since Mr. Doi lived in mostly non-racist society, he didn't see all the racism outside his community. But then after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he was then considered dangerous and a threat to the United States of America. He, along with all the other Japanese were labeled as the enemy. Media had false accusations had said that Japanese were spies helping the people in Japan and that they couldn't be trusted. However, there was no actual proof that any of the Japanese living in America were spies. But citizens of America, besides the Japanese, were panicking and wanted revenge for Pearl harbor. Mr Doi didn't blame FDR for 9066, he believes it was the fault of his advisers who urged him for Japanese internment. The interment of all Japanese, whether they were American citizens or not, goes against the law. In Amendment 5 and 14 that states the due process of law and no one can be denied life, liberty, and property. Mr. Doi and leave everything behind besides the things he could carry on his back. He was forced to go to a camp and live their with the other Japanese. He attended school, which was actually a very good education system with good teachers. For three years he stayed at the camps until he was finally released. It was hard for him and his family to integrate back into life outside the camps. They lost almost everything. He accepted the $20,000 payment but it was not nearly enough to make up for what he had lost. I assume it was hard to integrate back into society because some people still must have had some hatred for the Japanese. Truthfully, I believe that another interment of a whole race could happen again. When bad things happen, people become scared, and they will go to certain measures to stay safe.

I was very intrigued by Mr. Doi and his story, and I really learned a lot from his presentation.  When Mr. Doi spoke of his childhood, I felt much empathy for him.  He was a normal American child that was interned just for having a Japanese background even though he knew nothing of the Japanese regime at the time.  I also felt empathy for him after the bombing on Pearl Harbor when Americans began to blame the Japanese and Japanese-Americans for it.  The Japanese-Americans were just as angry about the bombing as any other American was, and it was very unfair and cruel for the United States to turn against some of its own people and put them into camps.  I was very interested when Mr. Doi spoke of his life inside the camp, because at the time he was almost the same age as all of us are now.  I was happy to hear that there were organized activities within the camps, such as clubs and athletics, for the children to participate in in order to pass the time and enjoy themselves.  I felt awful when I heard Mr. Doi talk about trying to live after internment and the difficulties of trying to reintegrate into society.  It must have been extremely challenging for the adults and parents of children to have to provide their families with minimal supplies and resources.  In my mind, the reparations payments should have been made much earlier than they were, so they could help those people who struggled immeadiately after internment.  Also, although $20,000 seems like a lot of money, that amount does not nearly make up for all the lost possessions, the time living in camp, and the difficulties after being interned.  I was interested to her if Mr. Doi was still in touch with any one that he met during his internment, but when he told us about their camp's annual reunion in Las Vegas I felt very empathetic.  While a reunion might be fun and entertaining, it most likely brings back horrible memories that many people would gladly like to forget.  I am very grateful that we we able to listen to Mr. Doi speak and learn about his story of internment.

When Mr. Doi came into the library, I didn't know what to expect. For the past month, we have been dissecting this sensitive subject and to have a first-hand account of this point in history was amazing. After he explained his life before and after Pearl Harbor, most of the audience felt a similarity to the stories that we read in English and History. He was just a normal kid with a normal life until this tragic event. When the order was given to place all Japanese-Americans into camps, his family was moved to camp in Wyoming. Throughout this troubling experience, he still had an attitude of joy and happiness because of his full lack of understanding the whole ordeal. What struck me the most was his story about how there were sport teams inside the camps along with different clubs and classes. It seemed reasonable to keep the civilians occupied inside the camps but it took a lot of effort to do this. To keep himself occupied, he joined all of the activities. What else could you do in a scenario like this? Most of the class felt surprised when he mentioned the lack of prejudice from any of his fellow classmates who weren't Japanese-American. His generation was very sympathetic unlike the adults who viewed the Japanese-Americans as threats to the country. Towards the middle of the conversation, I asked him what his and other Japanese-Americans felt about FDR. He said that there were neutral feelings about FDR, saying that it wasn't his only decision to put the Japanese-Americans into internment camps. Although they had mutual feelings about FDR, the ultimate decision to put the Japanese-Americans into the camps was wrong and unjust. The $20,000 that Mr. Doi received was appreciated, but did not make up for not nearly as much. Moving the civilians into the camps forced the families to walk away from farms and settlements that they had grown accustomed to throughout all of these years. By listening to Mr. Doi, all of the students were introduced to the personal aspect of this issue and shows how insecurity and discrimination can lead to a horrific scenario that our country is left to deal with.

Japanese Internment Speaker

It was very interesting to listen to an 80 year old Japanese American from WW2 still alive and doing well after living through such a horrible personal experience.  Before being interned Mr. Doi's life was much like ours.  He went to school in the 8th grade and had a lot of different ethnic friends.  He and his family were sad about Pearl Harbor and he felt like he was treated differently for being of Japanese dissent even though he was American.  I really found interesting listening to what Mr. Doi did while he spent time in the camp.  He talked about what was like and it seemed like it was very harsh. I can't believe that he had to give up all his belongings (except what they could take in their arms and suitcases) and all his freedom.  I didn't seem like we treated Japanese as American citizens by doing this to them.  The most interesting thing he talked about were the living conditions for the families.  The army barracks and one small room that could only fit five people seemed bad because they were horrible conditions to sleep or live in. He spent three years there and had to go to high school in the camp.  It was okay because he was still educated but not like it would have been for the rest of high school life outside the camp.  It was also really interesting to learn about how neighbors treated his family.  There were the nice neighbors that took care of their stuff and stopped people from looting and then there were the neighbors that didn't make good on the promise to help and instead stole from them.  I couldn't imagine having to leave my home with my family and leave all our belongings that we use everyday behind us.  Living in one room together would be awful and having to follow all the orders of the camp officers even more.   And all this just because of our ethnicity, it would be horrible.  It was great that Mr. Doi spent time with us because mistakes like this can never happen again in our county and the only way to make sure is if we all understand what it was like and what we did.

Mr. Doi was really kind to come in and share his personal story with us, and from hearing about internment by one of the victims I was able to see it from a different perspective.  His description of the contrast before and after Pearl Harbor in America surprised me.  Before, society was very mixed and his friends were of a variety of races.  After Pearl Harbor, attitude changed overnight, and the Japanese-Americans were despised and rounded up into camps under the President's order 9066.  With what we've learned, I had forgotten that the Japanese-Americans didn't actually know what was going on, but Mr. Doi's point of view, I realized that all they knew was that they were leaving their homes and going somewhere.  They didn't know where they were going or how long they would be gone, and many had to give up what they had worked to achieve for their entire life. My initial belief was that the Japanese-Americans hated FDR, but as Mr. Doi explained, they blamed his advisers who pressured him into opening the camps.  In the camp that Mr. Doi was in, he recalls an organized education system, and lots of sports, which sounds a lot like school systems today.  His personal experiences and descriptions of being hauled off and living in a random place far away from your old home gave me a deeper level of understanding as to what the Japanese-Americans went through both physically and mentally.  Once let free, he made clear the fact that the Japanese-Americans had just time warped three years.  Some peoples stuff was gone, stolen by racist neighbors.  Others was in the same shape that they had left it.  I was happy to hear that not all Americans were blind to the racism and stuck by their friends and neighbors.  That said, there was still the issue of getting a job and your life back on track.  The $20,000 that was awarded to the victims of the Japanese-American concentration camps wasn't really enough to compensate for the loss.  Mr. Doi explained that yes, it is money and can benefit some people, but it doesn't repay the people who lost more.  Also, they lost 3 years of their life behind the fences, and no amount of money can pay for that.  Mr. Doi sees great improvement from the days of the camps, and our modern society seems to line up closely with what he had described it as before Pearl Harbor.  From Mr. Doi's story I learned a lot more than what a textbook could teach, and it also came along with the emotion and power that a part of history like this deserves.

Japanese Internment Speaker

I was very moved by Mr. Doi's personal story about the internment camps. I tend to realize that stories like this have so much more emotion and meaning when they are being told by someone who was actually there to experience it all. Before hearing about his life during pre-internment, I thought I knew what was going to be said; but like most times, I shouldn't have gotten ahead of myself. Learning that before internment, Mr. Doi's class was very diverse and calm, it made me think more about why the government decided to only entrap the Japanese people, instead of also including the Germans and Italians. As he began talking about Pearl Harbor and 9066, I was almost amazed to hear Mr. Doi admit that he wasn't necessarily mad at FDR or the government's choices in general, but instead felt confused and betrayed. Camp life during internment was very uncomfortable at first but after a while, when the people got used to the terrible weather conditions, it started becoming a regular routine. High school in the camps was pretty standard as well, but it was the subject of moving back out of the camps after the war that was the biggest issue. So many people had lost absolutely everything. Houses and belongings were sold for practically nothing, and neighbors took great advantage of this. The Japanese people were disheveled after they received news that the war was over and they could go home, because they didn't know where their home was. They had nothing to go back to. This in itself is completely heart wrenching. When Mr. Doi was asked about his opinions on the $20,000 reparations that were handed out after the war, he made it clear that although he did take the money, it was not nearly enough to repay the cost of everything he lost. Mr. Doi's story of his experiences inside the internment camps was very inspirational to me. He, along with many others, went through something so traumatic, but he managed to get through it amazingly well.

Japanese Internment Camp Speaker

Hearing Mr. Doi talk about his experiences before, during, and after he was in the camp was very interesting to hear it from someone who was actually there. I thought it was cool when he said that in school before being in the camp, that he did have friends of different races and cultures, but how some Japanese kids were badly mistreated. I was amazed how his life changed in a split second because of Pearl Harbor. Everyone, especially him, must have been so scared of what would happen next. I can't believe how no one stood up for the Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor, even though some of them didn't have anything to do with it. Later, he said that the American Navy in the Pacific Ocean became helpless and the American Navy in the Atlantic Ocean couldn't help them, but the Japanese didn't take advantage of that. If they did, the U.S would have been in danger, but they didn't. I also thought it was cool when I heard that when the war started, the Japanese were not a small minority. Another thing that I liked was that the FBI didn't think it was necessary to put the Japanese Americans into internment camps and that there was no logical reason for putting them there. The one thing I didn't get was how they divided the people up by what they thought of the camps. While being interned I thought it was interesting how he passed the time, which were ordinary activities. When he talked about his and his family's reaction to being released and of the reparations, it was intriguing how he explained it. His family was so shocked that they were finally being released after so many years. Then he said that some people refused the reparation money because it was insulting to them how little they received for how much they went through. He also said that some people didn't have much before being interned, so they were happy to take what money they could get. Overall, I was so happy that I got to hear him speak about being interned from his own point of view.

Japanese Internment Speaker

Hearing Mr. Doi talk about his experiences really gave me a much deeper understanding of what it must have been like to go through this terrible experience. Mr. Doi talked about his life before the war and it did not sound different from any other American citizen and yet his life after was so completely different from the lives of other Americans. He was simply an innocent American citizen however because his parents originally emigrated from Japan, he was treated as the enemy. When he was forced to leave his life behind and move into these terrible camps however he was not angered but confused as to why he was being moved here even though he had never been anything but loyal to America. This side of confusion is not a story that you hear in history books and hearing this from Mr. Doi and helped portray the true feelings of the Japanese during the transition to internment. He was born and raised in America, knew nothing about the Japanese culture, felt no loyalty towards Japan whatsoever and yet he was treated as though he directly helped those who bombed Pearl Harbor. In the camps people were living in fear and even when Mr. Doi and his fellow internee’s were released they still had to live in the fear of racism. Eventually the internees were formally apologized to and paid twenty thousand dollars in reparations. This however would never completely repay the terrible and racist acts committed by Americans. As Mr. Doi explained, many of his friends were forced to abandon their homes and farms during the war, and when they finally returned home they found their neighbors had ransacked their houses.  Mr. Doi actually lived through these horrible events and hearing about his experiences really made this event understandable and real rather than something you just read in a book. 

Japanese internment

I was deeply moved and informed about Japanese internment through the personal story of Mr. Doi. Growing up, Mr Doi explained how his life was pretty normal as an American. However, after the Japanese attack on pearl Harbor, his life quickly changed. Even though he was part of the second generation in America and he was born in the U.S., he was forced to face the Japanese prejudice during WWII just because of his Japanese facial features. It was interesting to learn that his views towards FDR were positive, and he explained that many Japanese Americans did not blame FDR for their internment under order 9066. Instead, they blamed his advisors who encouraged him to sign the act. He had 1-2 weeks to evacuate his home in California, and eventually ended up in Heart Mountain, Wyoming. A majority of the Japanese Americans interned their arrived unprepared for the freezing temperatures. Mr. Doi emphasized the importance to look at Japanese internment from a personal view. He asked us how we would feel if we were suddenly forced to evacuate our home, and only be allowed to bring only as many possessions that could fit in 1 or 2 suitcases. Clearly, this type of decision would be difficult for anyone. After the end of the war, Mr. Doi explained how he and other young Japanese Americans wanted as little to do with their Japanese culture as they could have. After all, it was their heritage that had brought all those hardships on them, and it made them feel separated in the American society. These thoughts are similar to the feelings of Jeanne Wakatsuki in the book Farewell to Manzanar. Just like Mr. Doi, she did not want to relate to Japanese culture, and she chose to participate in activities such as baton twirling. However, Mr. Doi later learned to embrace his rich culture, and learn more about his heritage. Another interesting topic Mr. Doi brought up was the concept of pan Asia we discussed in threads earlier this year. In America, people often look at all asians as being the same race with the same cultures, although in reality neighboring Asian countries are composed of different languages and cultures. Listening to the inspirational story of Mr. Doi from a personal standpoint rather than looking at the big picture, both moved me and taught me new things about Japanese internment.

Japanese internment speaker

Mr. Doi's presentation last Friday was very intriguing and eye-opening and there were many surprising aspects of internment. During his childhood, it surprised me how racist thoughts still existed, especially to the extent he described. After the bomb, I didn't know that the FBI had tried to convince the president to not go though with "9066" and intern the Japanese Americans. In the camps, he described how they all had activities to do everyday. I didn't know they were busy, I thought all they did was work. When they got out and he told us about the two different types of neighbors, I was relived to hear that there were some sensible people of that time. In the last section, I had never thought of the reperations as an apology for internment which was very intriguing. The presentation was very informative and it gave me a first hand view of a big historical moment.

Japanese interment

I found his story interesting, especially his answers to his questions about his childhood in the camps.  How being enclosed in a space like that for so long became normal. They developed a life in the interment camps, since they had all their possessions taken away from them, the Japanese-Americans were forced to start over in these camps.  He was such a inde man but I also found it interesting that in the camps most of the people didn't blame FDR for putting them in the camps.  Most of them understood that the situation was difficult, they just found it unfair that the people thought all these AMERICAN citizens were spies for the Japanese government.  All in all I enjoyed his presentation.

Mr. Doi's presentation was insightful, and very well organized in a way that made me evoke empathy. In the beginning, Doi illustrated his life growing up. He felt as if he were a "regular American," regardless of his Japanese heritage, and despite some racism he experienced, people thought of him as an American as well. It all changed when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, however. After the bombing, people looked at the Japanese as the enemy the US had to destroy, and because of this, harsh discrimination was exuded towards Japanese Americans. Here, people who had been living in America for long periods of time and had nothing to do with the bomb, were lumped into a group with the Japanese just because the phenotypically looked similar. Then came the news that FDR and the US government ordered the internment of all Japanese Americans. The majority reaction, including Mr. Doi's was that of shock, anger, and confusion. Here, were normal Americans who were just as angered by the bomb as white Americans, but were discriminated against based on their heritage. The question also begs as to why only Japanese Americans were interned and not German Americans or Italian Americans, whom the US was at war with as well. Lastly, the whole concept of interning the Japanese Americans was ironic, as the US was fighting a war with one of its purposes being to liberate the Jews and millions of others from camps in Germany, while at the same time, interning their own people based on ethnicity as well. Life at the camp was a struggle as well, as people had to leave all their possessions and lost significant amounts of money. People had to decide whether to stay in touch with their Japanese heritage, or totally erase of ancestry and become part of the majority white American culture in order to survive. After the internment, people struggled to readjust. Japanese Americans had no money and lost their businesses that they had been running for their whole lives. It was like their lives were frozen in time while everyone else's kept going, and when they unfroze, they were years behind in progression. To compensate, the US gave reparations to the interned. They gave each person 20,000 dollars as repayment. While it was a substantial amount of money, it wasn't even close to the amount needed to fully suffice the damages. If there was a positive to the Internment, it is that it created a close community. People became good friends with their fellow internees and have reunions every year with the people from each individual camp. Mr. Doi's story taught me that everyone in America is an American no matter their heritage. That's what makes America unique from other countries. We have to remember the internment of the Japanese as a reminder of this fact. Mr. Doi told his story in a way that will allow me to use it as a reference point to give perspective of the experience of different cultures in my own country.

It is always enlightening to hear about historical events from a personal perspective, and I was very grateful to learn about Mr. Doi’s experiences. Hearing about how his childhood was just like any other child’s and how he wasn't very aware of racism because he hadn’t noticed it, reveals how when internment began, the strong racist feelings were new to Japanese Americans like him. Mr. Doi explained how the turning point for the racist feelings came about after the bombing of pearl harbor. At that point, he expressed that the Japanese Americans became the enemy despite the fact that they were American citizens and were the one’s who were bombed. That was impactful because obviously none of those people were involved but they were punished anyways. The attack on Pearl Harbor led to internment where experiences were much different than he was used to. I was very interested to hear about the camp life, which he described as cold and cramped. 3 years in a foreign environment is an awful experience, but they were eventually released. He said that the discrimination changed and that he saw a change in attitude of everyone, in a positive way. That was a start to the reparations though Mr. Doi first thought that it was hopeless. While legislatures began protecting civil rights and groups formed to stand up for the Japanese Americans, there were also reparation payments made. Sensibly, he thought that the payments were not nearly enough to replace everything, but were at least an effort, and better than nothing. After all of the issues, Mr. Doi is comfortable sharing his story and even keeps in touch with fellow internees. I was happy to learn that there are reunions between them and that having that past creates acquaintanceships among those who experienced internment. It was an impactful experience to hear from Mr. Doi, that helped my understanding of Japanese Internment.  

It was truely inspiring and fulfilling to hear Mr. Doi talk about his experiences with Japanese internment. I was inspired by his positive attitude about the entire situation, and his willingness to share all of his experiences with us. I was also shocked by all the we Americans did to the innocent Japanese Americans during World War Two. We forced them into these camps with no proper clause, despite the fact that most of them weren't even from Japan and were born and raised in America for their entire life. I really enjoyed listening to Mr. Doi and am so glad we were able to have the opportunity to have someone with a firsthand experience come and talk to us about Japanese internment.

Having Mr. Doi talk to us about his experienced before, during, and after his time in a concentration camp taught me a lot about what it was like first hand. Finding out that before the order to round up all of the Japanese he had a well-mixed friend group was very interesting. You would think that they would have been more excepting and could have questioned what was happening due to having been exposed to so many different cultures. I knew that once the order had been placed the Japanese cooperated with what they said, but it was different hearing it form someone who went through with it and was genuinely confused as to why it was all happening. There was a different feeling hearing the story compared to reading it from a book or textbook. Once in the camp, Mr. Doi told us that the school there had great teachers and a lot of sports teams to keep them entertained. It was eye opening to see that the school in the camp was very similar to the schools we have today. Going back to a society that didn’t trust you after three years is obviously tough but it was heartwarming to hear that some people’s neighbors took care of the belongings that they had to leave behind. There were the normal emotions of being scared and awkward around everyone but for some it wasn’t as hard as it could have been. Mr. Doi confirmed what we already knew about the $20,000 and how for some it helped with a lot of the debt and for some it was just a penny in the bucket of money they needed to recover from being gone for several years. Overall, hearing Mr. Doi speak was a once in a lifetime experience and I am thrilled that I got to experience it.