Editor’s Note: This letter is a response to Dennis Box’s July 1 column.
We’ve lived in Maple Valley for the past 20 years. My son is a junior pre-law at Seattle University. He recently was awarded a fellowship. Their mission was to award those taken from their homes and put in those horrible camps honorary degrees. It was really amazing. The Dean of Law at Seattle University is on a leave of absence writing a book about this and Mr. Korematsu.
I thought this might interest you. Your story and still many generations later we have not forgotten and we need to continue to talk and tell this story so we don’t forget the stories.
I was honored to be present when 3 of the survivors of the camps from Washington State were at Seattle University this past June. They all talked about their stories.
My father, an Italian-Americans enlisted in World War II. He had scholarships to play football. He was 19. He was in Italy in the Army when they were ambushed by the Germans.
He was shot and hid in a ditch for 2 days until an Italian family felt it was safe to come across the field to get him. They brought a chair, carried him to their small home where they hid him another four days. They spoke only Italian, he didn’t understand a word they said.
His parents spoke Italian back home in Pennsylvania but he did not. Finally they were able to get him to a military post where he lay another few days. The medics didn’t feel his injury was bad enough to treat. Gangrene set in and his leg had to amputated.
At 19 he was sent home as an amputee. He spent the next 12 years fighting to be a teacher, coach and physical education teacher. He was literally told by the powers that be he would never be respected due to his disability.
He never received a penny, no disability pay. He never even knew he was eligible, he just wanted to live and work.
He got his Masters, was a student teacher almost 13 years until he finally got a permanent teaching job. Unheard of even back then. Finally got to coach. Was “Coach of the Year” in the city of Pittsburgh, had players go to he NBA, and although he wanted to coach football never due to politics never did get that chance.
He finally ran in to a friend from the war who asked why he wasn’t 100 percent disabled. He finally did get disability pay. After 30 years he retired at $35,000.00 a year. Makes more money retired than he ever made working. He wore the same artificial leg they made for him after WW II. They revised it and made revisions of course however due to the way he was cut that day in Germany and allowed to lay there for days he infected so easily he never allowed them to cut him again. That was the only way he’d be able to wear updated artificial legs. So over the years the heaviness of the artificial leg took a great toll on his back, neck and body.
You’d never know it by looking at him. He was always fit, golfed, took care of his home, him family, his kids at school, the kids he coached, inner city kids in the city of Pittsburgh-rough part of town. He didn’t like to talk about what happened. He told the story of that day. Never with tears, never with a bitter note in his tone. When asked if he ever had a nightmare about it, he just shake his head and say no. But his eyes said something else. He’d never burden anyone with anything let alone that day or that experience.
He is so loved and respected. He is 87. His biggest loss was my mother in 2005 and my younger sister in 1974.
The war affected so many. So many for the rest of their lives. During one of the Korematsu Fellowship Presentations I attended, two of the survivors of the camps spoke. One could hardly get through it, he was so emotional. I cried right with him. The other, a 90 year old woman in a wheelchair was so clear and articulate, her memories were like it happened yesterday. The Seattle U padre asked her questions and she spoke in to a microphone. She lived here with her family. Her grandmother got sick so the family returned to Japan. She begged to stay here and continue her education. Her mother agreed. Within 3 days WW II broke out. She was not bitter in any way. She said they obeyed, they did what the US asked of them. It was as though they were telling us to always “question.” Question” the powers that be. The kids sitting there listening were so still, you could hear a pin drop. Like with my dad, it was a different time. They did what was asked of them, no questions asked.
I honor your grandparents for having the integrity to not buy any of that farm equipment. It should never have happened and all these years later I am sure it is very much a part of what made you the person you are.
A Maple Valley Resident,
Annette Armendariz
