Rising Sons

This is another book on the Nisei who served in the U.S. armed forces during World War II, many doing so even while their families were held behind barbed wire in various internment camps in the U.S.

The book provides some general information on the men, and goes into great detail about the battles that they fought in Europe.

There is a monument in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles that lists the names of 16,126 Nisei men and 37 Nisei women who served with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The 442nd and its elements ended with with almost 5000 Bronze and Silver Stars, Distinguished service Crosses, and Medals of Honor.

An early part of the book deals with the interment of persons of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast. It mentions Munson's report to FDR, in which it was concluded that there was no Japanese “problem” on the coast at all. Munson even noted that the Nisei were “eager to show their loyalty.”

Unfortunately, none of that stopped FDR from issuing Executive Order 9066, and the government from rounding up over 110,000 persons of Japanese Ancestry from the West Coast and shipping them to internment camps, generally in the middle of the country. The author points out that the order did not apply to any of those persons of Japanese ancestry who lived in the Eastern or the Central part of the country. Logically, if some group is dangerous at Point A, then they should also be dangerous in Point B, especially if you are talking about sabotage.

One thing I had not noted elsewhere was that a deep undercover Lieutenant counterintelligence officer was assigned to go undercover and study the Japanese Americans in Hawaii, to determine if they were any threat. His report was that “no American citizens or alien Japanese residents of Hawaii was involved in any acts of hostility against the U.S. Forces.”

The book notes there was one Japanese spy in Hawaii, but after the war he noted that he couldn't get anywhere with the Issie or Nisei in Hawaii, that they were all too loyal to the U.S.

The rest of the book is spent on the details of the 442nd's fighting in Europe, and didn't really offer anything especially new that I hadn't read elsewhere.

Overall a good book, although not significantly different or better than other books on the same subject.

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