In 1933, the Akune family moved from central California to Japan. With Akune's mother's death that year, the father decided it best to have the family, which included nine children, live in his native country. In a few years, however, two of the Akune brothers--Ken and his older brother Harry--would return to California. Because Ken Akune had left the United States with minimal formal education, upon his return he had to relearn the English language.
<br><br>During internment, Akune and his brother were forced to go to the Amache Detention Camp in Colorado. Akune felt embittered that while his Caucasian friends were signing up or being drafted for service, he and other Nisei could not: "When your friends are going and you're not allowed to go, you just don't know what to say. You're really mad in a sense." When recruiters from the Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS) arrived at the camps to interview Nisei, the brothers jumped at the chance to leave camp and prove their loyalty to their country. Because Akune was underage, his older brother signed on his behalf.
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When I was given this opportunity, it was like I had been liberated--set free. I felt no bitterness about my past situation. I felt that I had been reinstated as an American citizen.
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<br><br>Upon graduation from MISLS in 1943, Akune received an assignment with the propaganda division under the Office of War Information and headed for India. In the State Department stationed at the border between Burma and India, he and other men wrote and distributed propaganda leaflets. Broadcasts were also used to disseminate information about the current state of war and to persuade the Japanese civilian and military population to see the futility of the war. In his words, "It was part of our job, my job I felt, to convince them that they need to stay alive to go back to Japan and rebuild Japan."
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In a way, deep down, you know, I kind of felt that maybe you could help. I wouldn't say that I thought about it at the time, but deep down, I think, I know I noticed that when I went overseas and then start meeting prisoners of war. There was a way to help these guys. Maybe these guys can, you know, train them so that once the war was over...that they could become the nucleus of people that would rebuild Japan. So, it's not just the fact that we were out there fighting, but if there's a way that maybe we could help save lives. And not only our own but theirs too.
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<br><br>In 1945, Akune continued to do propaganda work with the British forces. He also conducted interrogation work in China, particularly with POWs who were involved in the "Rape of Nanking." Finally, with the war closing, both Akune brothers volunteered to work as ATIS (Allied Translator and Interpreter Section) interpreters at the war crimes trials. After official discharge from the military, Akune worked as an interpreter in the civilian Occupied forces and was involved in interpretation work at the Tojo trials. Around the same time, he paid a visit to his old high school in the United States. Because he was forced into the camps before he could finish school, he wanted to see if he could somehow obtain the overdue diploma. As he waited for a meeting with the principal, he noticed an honor roll of former students who had served in the military. To his surprise and disappointment, he saw that not one of the Nisei who had served was included. More frustration followed as he tried to report his discharge to the draft board. It turned out that the board did not even know Akune was in the military--on its record he had remained 4-C, "enemy alien."
<br><br>In 1949, Akune returned to the United States and settled in southern California. Though he had every intention of continuing school, he had to put his education on hold while he supported the family in Japan. Despite having family members on either side of the Pacific, the Akunes felt they were a close-knit family and supported each other during the difficult times. As the older Akune says,
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We come from different backgrounds...most of them are raised in Japan. They still, you know, have that particular kind of culture. They didn't particularly come back and reeducate themselves and become American. But even then, I think we have a really wonderful relationship with the rest of the family...despite the various backgrounds, we all still understand each other...
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<br><br>In later years, Akune completed a business degree and found career-long employment with Hughes Aircraft. He retired in 1982.
