Shortly after the United States entered World War II, an Executive Order was issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Executive Order 9066 forced over 120,000 individuals of Japanese ancestry residing on the Western coastal region, two thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, to abruptly leave their homes, jobs and way of life into ten concentraition camps throughout desolate parts of the United States.

These individuals and families sold their property for despairingly little money and left on trains and buses to unknown areas of the United States. Many found themselves ordered to live in remote areas where dust storms and extreme weather conditions caused great difficulty and adjustment.

Told by the United States government to take only what belongings they could carry, these innocent individuals, were excluded solely because of their ethnic origin, spent up to four years in these camps where they were surrounded by barbed wire and watched by armed guards.

The rationale for the issuance of Executive Order 9066 was that it was a military necessity in the time of war to prevent any type of espionage or sabatoge. However, to this day, not one Japanese American has been found to have engaged in any of the wartime crimes.