Entry #6: Peter Ota and Betty Basye Hutchinson

Peter Ota and Betty Basye Hutchinson had two very different experiences during the war. They came from families, different backgrounds, and different cultures. Both took part in the war, but only one by choice, the other by order. Peter was a Japanese American and his family had already been ripped apart and taken to concentration camps. The paranoia in this country destroyed his family. His father was arrested, which sent is mother into a depression and she soon became ill with Tuberculosis. When he, his sister, and his father, were evacuated to concentration camps, she had to stay behind in a sanitation area. She died alone, with her family spread out and far away. Peter's father was moved around from camp to camp and he was left, at the age of fifteen, with nobody but his twelve year old sister. They lived in the camp together, making the best of the horrible situation. But soon he was moving around for work, leaving his sister in the camp for the entire duration of the war. When he finally reached the age of a soldier, he was drafted into the military, forced to fight for a country that was holding him and his loved ones as prisoners. Looking back on how well behaved he had been during the war, following the orders of the government that suppressed his family and friends, he imagines that he would have been more resistant. But this was not his culture at the time; he was raised to be respectful, honorable, and obedient. The government took advantage of such a well mannered and dedicated group of young men and forced them to fight in a war that was only harming the people that they loved. Does this seem fair? Does this seem just? Does this seem American? Definitely not. But the rest of America was blind to this obstruction of justice as they focused on their own roles in the role. Betty Basye Hutchinson for example, became a nurse in the war. She did not know what else she could do to help, and wanted to be a part of the solution. Soon, she became much more than just an ordinary war nurse. She posed for a few pictures, and to her astonishment, she became famous. She was one of the most admired pin-up girls in America. She would receive boxes of letters each day from men who saw her picture and wanted to believe that they would meet up with her once the war was over. She was able to give these hardworking soldiers a hope for the future and to distract their tragic minds from the horrors of war, letting them focus instead on the idea of returning from the war to have a beautiful woman waiting eagerly for them.
Both of these two young Americans took part in the war, helping America succeed, but one was forced to do so while the other was simply encouraged and motivated to do so. Betty Basye Hutchinson was a young woman who was rewarded for her actions during the war. She was loved and adored by men all across the nation. Peter Ota on the other hand, was punished during the war. His family was locked up and separated and his was forced to fight in a war to preserve the government which held him prisoner for so long. How is it that such different experiences could have existed between two people in this nation during the war? How is it that two young adults, still teenagers, could have played such different roles in the war and been treated so drastically different? It was about their appearances. He was a Japanese American and looked like the enemy, therefore giving the government the 'right' to treat him as one. She was a beautiful, young, All-American girl, letting her be praised for simply taking a few photos to bring enjoyment to the soldiers. Who knew something so artificial as one's appearance could be the cause of such injustice?