Ko Stanley Sameshima oral history interview, part 2 of 3, October 13, 2007
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Description
In the fall of 1941, before the Pearl Harbor attack, Ko Stanley Sameshima, is a student at Cal Tech University. Ko is doing well in his academic studies and is on the Varsity Cross Country Team. In Ko's spare time, he attends social school functions.
Ko discusses the media reports following days after the Pearl Harbor attack. He says the media exaggerated the news to instill fear. However, Ko and his family continue with daily life as normal. The customers at Ko's parents' produce market show sympathy and concern towards the Sameshima family. Ko says there are no signs of discrimination.
When Executive Order 9066 (EO9066) is announced, Ko's parents and himself have separate struggles they face. Ko's parents go to Amache, Colorado, and Ko tries to transfer to a University on the East Coast. On the East Coast, Ko witnesses segregation and shares his sentiments.
Ko graduates from the University of Texas and is reclassified from 4C to 1A. Before being drafted for service, Ko volunteers to be an internee at Amache, to care for his parents. Ko recalls his experience at Camp Snelling and Military Intelligence Language School.
In 1945, the war ends, and Ko is commissioned to go to Manila, Philippines, for war crime trials and then to Tokyo, Japan, for occupation. Ko's parents leave Amache and move to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Ko discusses the media reports following days after the Pearl Harbor attack. He says the media exaggerated the news to instill fear. However, Ko and his family continue with daily life as normal. The customers at Ko's parents' produce market show sympathy and concern towards the Sameshima family. Ko says there are no signs of discrimination.
When Executive Order 9066 (EO9066) is announced, Ko's parents and himself have separate struggles they face. Ko's parents go to Amache, Colorado, and Ko tries to transfer to a University on the East Coast. On the East Coast, Ko witnesses segregation and shares his sentiments.
Ko graduates from the University of Texas and is reclassified from 4C to 1A. Before being drafted for service, Ko volunteers to be an internee at Amache, to care for his parents. Ko recalls his experience at Camp Snelling and Military Intelligence Language School.
In 1945, the war ends, and Ko is commissioned to go to Manila, Philippines, for war crime trials and then to Tokyo, Japan, for occupation. Ko's parents leave Amache and move to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Type
Format
video/m4v
Identifier
2007OH0812_02_Sameshima
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Date of Birth
1921 Dec 06
Location of Birth
Entrance into Service
Unit of Service
Citation
Sameshima, Ko Stanley: narrator, Yuge, Tim: interviewer, and Go For Broke National Education Center: publisher, “Ko Stanley Sameshima oral history interview, part 2 of 3, October 13, 2007,” Japanese American Military History Collective, accessed April 20, 2024, https://ndajams.omeka.net/items/show/1053484.