Growing up in Fresno, California, Frank Nishio was exposed to a variety of cultures and ethnicities in the community. Among the townspeople were Japanese, Chinese, German-Russians, Italians, Mexicans, and blacks. Though the neighborhood was diverse Nishio remembers that typically,
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The Japanese played with the Japanese and the Chinese played with the Chinese....So most of our friends were Japanese Americans and we visited amongst Japanese Americans even though in between our homes there were <i>hakujins</i> [Caucasians] living. We knew who they were. They knew who we were. We were friendly with each other, but we hardly visited their homes....
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<br><br>In December 1933, Nishio left the United States and headed for Japan, where he would complete more than six years of study in middle and high school. Schooling in Japan continued the ethical and moral teachings that Nishio had been exposed to at the Japanese school in Fresno. Activities such as judo and kendo demanded not only the strictest discipline but also reinforced Japanese notions of perseverance and other elements that would go into "building one's character."
<br><br>Having returned home in early 1940, Nishio attempted to volunteer for the Army but was turned down. The rejection hit him hard, as he recalls his emotions on that day, December 8, 1941--one day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
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That was the most unbelievably the most devastating moment in my life. You see, I was not a dual citizen. I was only an American. And my country rejected me. I was so dejected that I went to school, physically I was at school, but I felt, "What's the use." I was a zombie, and couldn't and didn't perform in school. In February, I quit school and started to farm labor, sort of a self destruct[ive] act.
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<br><br>More disappointment ensued, as the Nishio family had to give away most of their assets and livelihood to join the other Japanese Americans in the mass evacuation from the West Coast. Like others from the Fresno area, the Nishios reported to the Fresno Assembly Center for a few months, then were relocated to the Jerome Detention Camp in Arkansas.
<br><br>Nishio tried again to volunteer for military services but was rejected for the second time. During that period, he had been teaching Japanese at the University of Michigan--a job considered by the U.S. Army to be of higher importance than a military position. After negotiating with Colonel Kai Rasmussen of the Military Intelligence Service (MIS), Nishio was accepted into MIS.
<br><br>After teaching at the MIS Language School for a year, Nishio headed for Japan to join the Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS) in Tokyo. Soon after, he became a member of the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) and received assignment as an officer in charge of the Toyama and Maizuru offices. One of his primary duties had to do with ensuring his agents maintained their contacts (typically informants), conducted investigations, and produced reports that relayed intelligence information back to headquarters. Much of the information dealt with Communist infiltrations, planned labor strikes, and labor movement discussions.
<br><br>During those Occupation years, Nishio took the opportunity to visit Hiroshima to visit old schoolmates. As he remembers, "We were as friendly [to each other] as before the war"--despite the fact that while Nishio served on the U.S. side, his friends had been members of the Japanese Army. During their visit, the Japanese friends even joked about the "tough times." Nishio's recollections of Japan immediately after the war affirmed his friends' experiences:
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Practically all the buildings around Yokohama were flattened except the tall buildings which were used in the Occupation. The bombing was done so that whatever we could use later was spared. But otherwise, everything was bombed out and a lot of people were living in shacks under railroad trestles and under bridges...Those were the kind of shacks that were seen in Tokyo and Yokohama. They were pieces of tin, pieces of wood, and pieces of cardboard all put together to create a shelter. You couldn't find anything more than that.
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<br><br>In Hiroshima, he happened to meet the principal of the grade school he had attended. Nishio remembered him fondly, for the principal had once praised him highly in front of the entire student body. This chance meeting, however, proved to be not of pleasantry but one of bitterness.
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The principal...stopped me and looked at my uniform and said, "Is this an American uniform?" And I said, "Yes." Now his two sons also went to the same middle school. And with cold contempt and hostility, [he] glared at me and said, "My two sons were killed in the South Pacific"...he glared at me in contempt.
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<br><br>After Japan Nishio served with the CIC in Korea, where he interrogated prisoners of war and those deemed suspicious by the U.S. military. He also gave talks on security-related matters, which were well received and led to recommendation for a Bronze Star. Nishio never received one, however.
<br><br>Reflecting back on his MIS years, Nishio credits his later life successes to his experiences serving in the Pacific War.
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The greatest satisfaction that I derived from the war was maturation, broadening of the scope of understanding, confidence in my own accomplishments and ability to appreciate my personal heritage, and the confidence to be able to deal with the situation no matter how unusual.
<br><br>If nothing unusual [such as war] happened, we [the Nisei] would be working as plain old professional men, clerks in our own ethnic businesses, farmers, and assorted limited positions in a limited world. In contrast, since the war, we have expanded into all areas of opportunities, holding high offices and positions in unbelievably varied sectors. I look at the WWII era as a spring that was oppressed, that bound back to its fullest expansion, and still expanding but still fighting for a perfect state.
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