JETAA Portland Visits Minidoka!
In October 2022, JETAA Portland visited Minidoka National Historic Site in Jerome County, Idaho. Minidoka was one of ten “war relocation centers” established in Western states to imprison Japanese Americans during World War II. At it’s peak, it imprisoned about 13,000 Japanese Americans, mostly American citizens. The event was organized by Lila Klopfenstein (Nagasaki 2017 – 2020) who serves as JETAA Portland’s secretary and Idaho representative.
Site Tour
Picture: The entrance to the park highlights the guard tower placed to monitor internees.
Park Ranger Kurt Ikeda serves as the Mindioka National Historic Site’s chief of interpretation and community engagement. He kindly gave us a tour around the site on a blustery Saturday. The winds were incredibly strong, it gave us a good sense of how uncomfortable life must have been like for the internees in the winter!
Kurt shared that barracks were organized into blocks (about 12 barracks each) and each block shared laundry, bathroom, and mess hall facilities. During our tour, we were able to walk into one of the mess halls and imagine what life must have been life during the internment. Unfortunately, many of the barracks deteriorated, were moved, or demolished before Minidoka was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
After viewing the barracks, we passed by an honor roll sign that lists the names of hundreds of young men from Minidoka who served as soldiers in World War II while their families were imprisoned at home. Kurt shared that the 442nd infantry regiment – composed primarily of Japanese Americans – is one of the most decorated units of its size in US history.
Visitor’s Center
After taking a tour of the site – we rested inside the visitors center and watched a powerful film titled Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp, narrated by actor George Takei. We were moved by the stories the former internees told and the impact that Minidoka had on Japanese Americans for generations.
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Visiting Minidoka highlighted how much the US-Japan relationship has changed since World War II. In 1945, the camp formally closed. 42 years later, the JET program began in 1987. In 1988, President Reagan apologized and Congress gave $20,000 to each surviving former incarceree. In this age of good relations, it’s easy to forget that just a generation or two ago, Japan was considered an enemy nation. As JET alumni, we play an important part in continuing to encourage strong relations between our two nations through mutual understanding and respect.
Visiting Minidoka also highlighted the importance of working with the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and other civil rights groups to help protect civil rights and liberties for all. Every year on February 19th, a Day of Remembrance is held to remember the day that President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which led to the forced removal and unjust incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. Idaho is proud to have the longest running statehouse ceremony for the Day of Remembrance.
Gallery: Pictures are from the 2024 Day of Remembrance ceremony at the Idaho Statehouse. Pictured are Governor Brad Little (Governer of Idaho), Robert Hirai (President of the Boise Valley JACL), Kurt Ikeda (Park Ranger and Chief of Interpretation and Community Engagement for Minidoka National Historic Site), Jane Gunter (Former Incarceree) and other survivors.