From Hawaii To the Holocaust: a Shared Moment In History

Narrated by Ed Asner, this often powerful documentary interviews veterans and mixes historic film footage to tell the story of what happened to AJAs (Americans of Japanese Ancestry) during WWII, particularly members of the of 552nd Field Artillery Battalion--the most decorated unit of its size in U.S. military history. Winner of the Hawaii Filmmakers Award at the 1993 Hawaiian International Film Festival, filmmakers' Judy Weightman and Ryan Sexton's film opens strong with personal accounts from AJAs who were in Hawaii during the bombing of Pearl Harbor--an attack which propelled the American government into one of the most shameful decisions of our history: the executive order which placed all AJAs into internment camps spread throughout the U.S. However, some vociferous young Hawaiian men argued for the right to be able to defend their country, and their wish was granted. In the second half of the program, we see and hear of the incredible exploits of the 552nd: subject to prejudice even while fighting alongside fellow soldiers, the 552nd nevertheless overwhelmingly proved their loyalty in outstanding acts of courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Some of these men were among the first to liberate the Jews imprisoned in Dachau. Where the film falters is in its weaving of footage recording the Nazi's monstrous treatment of the Jews into the main fabric of the AJA story. The idea is to compare the oppression of one people with that of another. Yet, while Japanese Americans have a truly valid claim to victimhood for their mistreatment during WWII, the "common experiences as victims [between AJAs and Jews]" ends abruptly upon even cursory examination: the difference lies in the quick and the dead, and it's a major one. Aside from this aspect, From Hawaii to the Holocaust is a good film about Japanese Americans fighting in WWII. Recommended. [Note: this title is being sold to consumers for $34.95.] (R. Pitman)