Time of Fear

For some reason, IMDb only lists two people as appearing in this film, but there were many, many more. Most were just average young Japanese-Americans but one was Senator Daniel Inoye. I'm not a huge fan of his politics, but his WWII service record is freaking amazing--and how he lost his arm in combat is a story that's hard to believe it shows so much determination, bravery and self-sacrifice. And, this, in a way, is something that can be said about many Japanese-Americans during WWII--as despite horrible racism, they often rose to the occasion and proved their loyalty and goodness.

The film is a documentary that begins just after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In a gross overreaction, Japanese and Japanese-Americans living on the west coast were sent to huge internment camps--camps that violated the Constitution and are one of the sad episodes in American history. Much of the film consists of camp residents talking about life in the camps, their desire to prove themselves loyal and how heart-breaking it all was for them.

All in all, a very well done show. I am not sure if the film was correct that this incident is mostly forgotten today--I sure hope it isn't. Well worth seeing. And, if you enjoy it, also try watching another PBS documentary, "Most Honorable Son"--the story of Ben Kuroki--a Japanese-American who had an amazing service record during WWII.