Sounding Board -- Art Stanlow

I wish you “youngies” would do a little research on the subject you’re

assigned to report on when the events happened before your time. I’ve

just read the article, “War hysteria helped end curio shop’s history”

(April 15).

Despite the reporter’s use of the usually-dependable Robert Gardner

regarding World War II facts, I find it hard to believe that Gardner, a

World War II veteran like myself, would describe America as having been

in a state of hysteria. There was nothing approaching hysteria in America

during World War II. Never. Anger, yes. Vengeance, yes.

And unfairness to Asian citizens. That was an unworthy choice, putting

the West Coast Japanese in internment camps, but it wasn’t a war-long

event.

We eventually had a famous Japanese-American military unit fighting in

Italy. Nothing approached hysteria, just a groundswell of enlistments all

over the country of men wanting to even the score for something that

became a part of our folklore.

“Pulling a Pearl Harbor,” was the statement. There are still bodies of

our boys there, underwater. We didn’t get hysterical; we got even.

Unfortunately, some very nice Japanese-Americans were dealt with

unfairly; I know that. I dated a beautiful Japanese girl after the war

who even underwent an operation on her eyes in order to rid of her

Japanese look. It didn’t work.

Inside, she was permanently wounded. She would date no one except

whites and felt inferior even though she was the most attractive person

in any room that she entered.

I do wonder what happened to her. We were both war casualties. I got a

medal and a scar; she got a neurosis. She didn’t deserve it, but neither

did I.

* ART STANLOW is a Costa Mesa resident.