What My Father and Tule Lake Pilgrims Taught Me About World War II
I grew up unaware of the internment of around 110,000 Japanese-Americans, including small children, who were suspected of being "enemy aliens."
Memories from the 80th Anniversary of World War II's End
Two moments stand out for me as we observe the 80th anniversary of World War II's conclusion: my father’s recurring nightmares and an elderly woman holding back tears when our bus entered the former Tule Lake internment camp in California.
My Father's Wartime Experience
My father, Benjamin Pimentel Sr., was a teenager when Japan invaded the Philippines soon after the Pearl Harbor attack. Like many young Filipinos, he joined the resistance movement. He was detained and interrogated by the Kempetai, the Japanese secret police. His brother, my Uncle Jesus, was later taken and never seen again; our family believes he was executed.
My father had been athletic, but his time as a jungle guerrilla left him physically broken. He never fully recovered and suffered from nightmares for decades. Despite this, he expressed no bitterness toward the Japanese. He described his experiences calmly, with fair and precise language.
“The Japanese soldiers back then were very brutal,” he said. “The Japanese imperial forces really caused a lot of damage.”
Reflection
After I moved to America, I never worried about introducing my father to my Japanese-American friends.
Author's summary: The author's father endured brutal war trauma yet spoke without bitterness, revealing lessons on resilience and reconciliation amid WWII's painful legacy.