D.S.

Myer Sends
Congratulatory
Published In two porta. Part L
VOLUME IV, NUMBER 28 HUNT, IDAHO SATURDAY, SEPT. 16, 1944
Wire on Edition
National Director Encouraged Deeply
By Progress Made in Relocation;
Cooperation in Government
HOPE LIES ALONG "ROAD-BACK- "
Every issue of the Minidoka IRRIGATOR has impressed
me with the high standards of journalism you have maintain-
ed under trying conditions. Reading each issue I have not-
ed that it is an accurate and faithful chronicler of life in the
center, reflecting its interests and hopes. The IRRIGATOR
has been a strong educational force and I do not hesitate to
say that the fine cooperation which exists between the eva
cuees and the administration has been reinforced by your
publication s forward-lookin- g
editorial policy. It is my hope
and belief that this coopera-
tion, with the help of all the
evacuees, all members of the
center staff, and with the
continued support of the IR-
RIGATOR, will grow greater
in the future.
As you enter your third
year, I note that your pages
are given over more and more
to two newsworthy facts of

ImHP hi irr ttI in? n u y-- -' 4

wjgH 1944. They are, first, the
heartening reports from the
battle fronts which tell of the
devotion and bravery with
which Japanese Americans
are fighting our enemies ; and
second, the ever growing num-
ber of relocated individuals
and families finding homes
throughout the length and Dillon S. Myer
breadth of the United States.
Your young men on the battle
fronts and your Industrious friends
and relatives on the "outsido" both
have shown the hope that lies
Watts Proud
.....
" " 1 1 II

t,
Mill

,r.
II H. IB

,
along along the "road back" for all
Japanese Americans. As Mini- To Be C. O.
Stafford Sends Message Mrs. Roosevelt
Editorial..;.'
doka rounds out its second year, I
am deeply encouraged by the pro-
gress that has been made in relo- Of 171st Bn.
On Second Anniversary Expresses Hope
For Nisei Future
cation and by tho increasing evi-
dences of cooperation between the I am happy to make a statement
ODR THIRD YEAR residents and the administrative regarding my men for the second
Big Labor Adjustments, Segregation, Expressing her hopo that all .?." staff. anniversary edition of the Mini-
doka Irrigator.
Selective Service, Added Nisei will resume their normal ex-
istence and be regarded as Amer-
W ftt I ta This battalion was formerly the

.Impetus Hto Relocation ican citizens by the general public Once M&Jtanding again'r
on the threshold of another Loyalty, Patriotism First Battalion of the 442nd In
fantry and Is well along In its
v ,af ter the war, Mrs.
veil wrote no uio Aiwiveroary
period In
Elejanor-RooBe-- 1
thWjlJBAamter
.Two years, shorten re-
Manifested training. The men are physically
by-442nd-

STSTUS OF SITUATION CHANCED ?

In excellent shape and thetr are
jam-tlo- n

of THE IRRIGATOR as fol- cord but torigjin timvhave now passed by since the begin-
thirsty for Information to further
On occasion of the second anniversary number of the Ir
lows: ning of Hunt. " 100th Units their military knowledge. Train
"I am sorry I cannot write an The first year was a year of fear and insecurity. No ing results today far exceed expec-
rigator, one may pause to think over the changed status of article as I am so very busy. I matter how much we protested our honesty, sincerity and The present Issue of the IRRI- tations.
oui1 situation at Hunt. I'm inclined to think that we have hope all Nisei will resume their loyalty, many people were not convinced of our intentions. GATOR has been dedicated to the There are several reasons for
normal existence and be American
been confronted with continuous change. Several important citizens with no other connections It was a year of the beginning steps in the relocation pro- Japanese American soldiers who it. Many of our men receive mall
have fallen In battle; to those who from friends and relatives in the
nhases of chance have taken place since the first anniversary In anyone's thoughts when the war gram. Uncertain of the future and reception in the various are, even as this is written, locked 442nd Combat Team who ofter
number of the Irrigator. Among these were wholesale labor is over. locales, many residents preferred to stay put in a relocation in mortal combat with the enemy; bits of advice. Our men apply
adjustments, segregation, selective service, and added impe "Very sincerely yours,
center. Only those brave and adventurous souls braved the
to those who are training for their this advice to their everyday
tus to relocation. We have instituted machinery ior com (Signed) coming baptism of fire. scheduled training. The men
munity government. "ELEANOR ROOSEVEUT." unknown and ventured into the world beyond the barbed The loyalty and patriotism of spend many hours of their own
and the armed sentries. the Nisei In general and of the time practicing what they learn-
The labor adjustments brought
about much confusion and doubt.
They represented an abrupt trend gsagKjjajjegstKujar' ly anadian
H'
Distrust and fear is born of ignorance. They did not
know us. We did not know them. However, at the begin
Nisei soldier In particular has nev- ed during tho day and preparing
er been seriously questioned by the for tho next day's work.
government. But to the nation Every man in this battalion Is a
toward economies which at first ning of the second year,' the residents began to stream out shocked by Pearl Harbor they had qualified rifle shot, most of them
made no sense to the evacuees.
Segregation was difficult to under-
stand and extremely difficult of ac-
Evacuees of the gates in. steady numbers, and though at first, the
kept one foot in the center and the other foot on the
to be proven.
Nisei Volunteers
are experts. Each man is thor-
oughly familiar with his own wea-
After a temporary suspension of pon, its characteristics, and capa-
complishment. Attendant rumors
kept our people upset for months. In Six Camps outside, as the number increased, more began to settle in the
Mid-We- st and Eastern areas.
the Selective Service Act during bilities, and has a working know-
the evacuation process, the Army, ledge of every weapon in tho bat-
The sudden applicability of selec-
The total number of persons of
Then again, the Army began to accept Americans of on January 28, 1043, announced the talion.
tive service brought about new Japanese ancestry. A year later these same young men who reopening of military service to the Their field exercises involving
fears, new rumors, new problems Japanese origin In British Colura Nisei, on a voluntary basis. In the use of cover and concealment
of adjustment Relocation offered bia affected by the evacuation or polunteered their services in the Army of the United States Hawaii, where the normal life of under simulated battle conditions
a baffling and turbulent prospect der, according to tho figures avail- are backing up their statements concerning their loyalty and the Japanese population was not reflect their earnestness. It Is of-
for many who had chafed under able, was around 23,000. Of this integrity with Army rifles and. machine-gu- n bullets on the disrupted by evacuation, some 0
ten difficult to see a man, even
10,-00-

precarious treatment during per- number, Japanese National total of Italy. Nisei, comprising 40 percent of when he is moving from place to
iods of seasonal leave employment. 7,2000, naturalized Canadians, d fields 0,
blood-soake-
the eligible population, responded place. As a result In a very short
It is a difficult decisionmost to make, and those claiming Canadian By this time the American people were beginning to to the call for volunteers. On the period of time, they can take their
yet courage prevails in cases citizenship by birth, by far the realize the fact that such a thing as evacuation had taken mainland, more than a thousand place shoulder to shoulder with the
as more and more people have re- largest group, 13,400. Some hun- place. An evacuation of people who had committed no crime volunteered from the relocation men now on the fighting fronts.
located. dreds were given permission' by (Continued on Page 6) (Continued On Pago Seven) Quite a few of our men have re-
Community Government is new the Minister of Justice of the Ca- ported from Minidoka and we find
at Minidoka and( like many other nadian government to remain in that without exception, they are
Innovations, is looked upon with the "prohibited areas" during the The Democratic Principle: willing, eager to learn, and gen-

"Evacuation Was Harsh Measure But It

-

suspicion. If the leaders work on
the Administration, they are poli-
ticians. If they work with the
Administration, they are stooges.
Minidoka fosters these notions in
common with most American com-
munities. In this respect, we can
claim normalcy. Time adds weight
to my convictions.
There are other observations I citizens of Portland shouldcome,
want to make in connection with If such a committeeto should
anniversary of the
later stage of the process of eva- erally make fine soldiers.
cuation by reason of marriage I am proud to bo the Com-
with Occidentals. manding Officer of this Bat-
During ,the earlier phase of eva-
cuation, all single men between
the ages of 18 and 60 were sent to
Gave New Liberty Concepts" McWilliams talion and can assure you that
all of us will do our level best to
make this the finest unit of its
Harry L. Stafford the road camps in the Interior of By Carey McWilliams in tho whole American
lem of the other racial minorities. kind
British Columbia and Ontario. While mass evacuation was .The following article Is ro- - This Is important since It is evident Army.
Some 0,000 were removed to sugar it should be printed by permission of the au-
see. beet work in Alberta and Mani- a harsh measure, thor from tho pamphlet "YVliat that wo shall never solve any of
toba. There were some who vol- recognized that the relocation About Our these problems until we have solv
they would return Portland to untarily moved out of the Defense program does carry democra- prepared for the
,"

American Coun-
Japanese-Americans-
ed all of them. Former Reports
this second
Irrigator. I thought so a year hang their vandals to the highest Zones before the actual order. tic possibilities. The concen-
ago, I am convinced now, that Douglas fir in tho State of Oregon. Some set up
cil of the Institute of Pacific Re-
lations. Carey McWilliams is
THE ALL-JAPANE-SE
Officer, Writes
munities in
com-
but
tration of most of the tho
Japanese-A-

author of "Brothers Under

COMBAT TEAM
Since the first Irrigator emerged
Minidoka folks hate privation, idle- Will there be a third anniver-
once-prospero-
on the west the Skin" step
ness, and poverty. The great rank sary ? For obvious reasons, every- now deserted areas In the hinter- coast in ingrown communities
mericans
and "Prejudice." Tho most constructive from a cloud of dust In Rec. 22
and file of our Minidoka people one hopes not. But should there land of the province. The balance, taken by tho government In deal- two years ago, there have been
hate relief In any form. To become be, I predict that the Irrigator numbering some 15,000 were was by no means a healthy si- value to such concepts as "liberty" ing with the Japaneso-Amcr-ca-

was its decision, In Janu-

ns
many changes at Hunt, but the
a ward of the government is the will have chronicled many reflec- in several interior tuation. barracks, the sagebrush, the dust
and "freedom." As a group, they ary, 1913, to form an
lowest level to which one may de tions of progress. I hope that towns, where vacant hotels and The American born Nisei are showing a moro active and combat team. Previously,
and the project newspaper's name
scend. This trait of character joint endeavors of the residents empty houses remained as re- have remained the same In spite of
could well be taken into account and the administration will con- minders of yesterday's mining were experiencing great dif- healthy concern with the problems tho Nisei liad been classified as everything.
of other racial minorities. In many Ineligible for military service.
bv tribes of a fairer complexion tinue on a premise of composure boom, and some hundreds of small ficulties in finding employ- other they are demonstrat- The changes have been In the
The American Japanese wants an and common sense. match-bo- x houses were built, mea- ment opportunities to which ing anfields awareness of the kind
Today this stigma lias been com- people. Hundreds have turned an
unrestricted chance to neip suring 10 feet by 24 in alert pletely removed. unfortunate situation to their ad-
nim-sc-
; ho wants no dole or handouts.
lf
t-leased adjacent areas.
governmen-
their skills entitled them. of world in which they live. Tho Nisei now have an oppor- vantage by going out to meet and
They had not succeeded in out- To appreciate this development,
This second year proves another
point Our mail has been uncen-Bore- d; Three Hunt Boys SIX CENTERS
"These "relocation centers" num- growing the dominance of one must recognize that the par- Ja-
tunity to demonstrate their loyalty,
and they are doing so in the most
work with fellow Americans who
never before had a chance to know
our gates are open to any bered six, each accommodating their elders or in breaking panese on the west coast, and concrete manner. Today there are them.
g
descent-lookin-
visitor who claims Among First from several hundred to three away from the strong "social ticularly In California, occupied an
economic niche considerably above
over 8,000 Japanese-America- ns
in In a class by themselves are the
citizenship and honesty of purpose. thousand persons. One, Sandon, in the Army. They were among the courageous soldiers. With inspired
it Evacuees of Minidoka have been To Reach Pisa a little corner of Kootenay country, ties which held them in Little Negroes, Chinese, Mexicans and
has since been closed and the re- Tokyo. Filipinos. Evacuation was a shock
first troops to land on the beaches
of Salerno, where their conduct
vision these Nisei foresaw that their
actions and sacrifices would sink
exposed to all the propaganda any-
one else gets. They have been, in WITH THE FIFTH ARMY, maining centers consolidated. For many of these ounger and to their pride, but it has not been was singled out for special praise the roots of loyal Japanese Amer-
my opinion, offered inoculation by ITALY Privates First Class Jim These housing centers are under moro enterprising Nisei, reloca- without its healthy, if unforeseen, by General Mark Clark. Casual icans so deep in this nation's soil
all tho usual crack-po- t philoso- T. Suzuki, Yasuo Pete Fujlno and tho jurisdiction of a body known tion lias boon a genuinely liber- consequences. This observation, ties In tho 100th Infantry Bat that never again could they bo up-
phers, political rash and political Ken Hlgashl from Hunt were as British Columbia Security Com- ating experience. They have however, would not be true of the talion, made up entirely of Nisei, rooted and imperiled by storms of
'l pinks, who have been identified in members of a reconnaissance pa mission under tho Minister of La found opportunities in areas out-
this country. Yet the pigment of trol of tno Japanese American 442 bor. The Commission has Its sido the west coast for which Nisei. For many, evacuation has
entire group nor even of all the amounted to more tnan 40 per
cent.
prejudice.
The Irrigator staff, past and
their political complexion hasn't Regimental Combat Team believed head office in Vancouver. Each they had been seeking for years involved nothing but bitterness and In addition, Nisei soldiers are present, has written today's news
gone red and it hasn't gone pink. to have been the first Allied troops center has a supervisor, having a prior to their removal They a feeling of frustration. serving as Interpreters and as In and tomorrow's history with cre-
Considering all that has happened to rcacn ua Historic city of Pisa, general administrative capacity, have moved out of tho narrow, It may bo healthy, moreover, telllgence officers with our units ditable objectivity and persever-
to the evacuees up to now, tho according to a War Department and a welfare manager and a me- airless world of Little Tokyo In- that tho "Japanese Problem," throughout the Pacific and in In ance. Nobody knows how many
group earns special consideration release. dical officer with supervision over to tlio mal nstrcam of American which has echoed on the west coast dla. As interpreters, they have moro Irrigators remain to be print-
on tills point. their respective fields. Tho office life. for nearly fifty years, has now played, according to Lieutenant-Colon- el
ed and read beforo Hunt becomes a
Memorial day this year found Many times tho number needed I slargoly Btaffcd with young Nisei Tho experience they have under- ceased to bo a local and has be- Karl Gould, "an indispensa- memory. Congratulations on your
vMinldoka with a newly-complet- volunteered ior tno patrol. Fin evacuees. Tho school system is gone has shattered some of their come a national problem. It Is ble role" in tho war. Over two second birthday, but not "Many
Ipemotory, which some of the good ally 12 men woro selected. (Continued On Pago Four) illusions, but it has given a new now definitely related to tho prob hundred Japanese-America- ns
are happy returns of the day,"
'&&

411.1