Robert Tanaka
Robert Tanaka was born in Sacramento, California in 1924 and later moved to Watsonville. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Tanaka was evicted and imprisoned at Tule Lake WRA Concentration Camp. At Tule Lake, Tanaka worked as a truck driver. He recalls how he came to his decision to answer “yes-yes” to the “loyalty” questionnaire. Soon before the war’s end, Tanaka was drafted into the Army, and trained as a replacement for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. However, with the end of the war in Europe, he was reassigned to interpretation training and moved to Baltimore to attend investigation language school. Tanaka participated in the occupation of Japan as part of the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps, helping to ensure the safety of U.S. personnel. He recalls his experiences while serving in the occupation. Tanaka also discusses the lessons he learned from his parents’ generation.
