Introduction
Shortly after Pearl Harbor was attacked, the United States government posted orders for Japanese Americans on the western coast to report to local officials for “evacuation” instructions. In reality, over 120,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly removed without due process from their homes and placed in internment camps in isolated and desolate areas. Two of those camps were located in Arizona: Poston and Gila River. The Gila River Internment Camp was located just south of Chandler. It was open from 1942 to 1945 and imprisoned 16,655 Japanese Americans simply because they looked like the enemy. Despite the difficult conditions and the demoralizing effects of forced confinement, many were determined to establish a sense of normalcy. The Japanese concept of Gaman (gah-mahn)—enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity—seemed to be the norm.
Continue on to "Removal"