Not the popular dodging of the Vietnam War, but the almost universally condemned dodging during World War Two – where war opposition was mostly limited to pro-fascists, crypto-isolationists, absolute pacifists, and dogmatic Trotskyists. This man, Noboru Taguma nicknamed “Sonny Boy,” did not fit into any of these categories, and I suspect that few would begrudge his position today, even if they disagree with it. In fact, he didn’t really oppose the war.
An excerpt (But go through the link to read the whole excellent piece):
When Noboru received his draft notice after being in the camps for two years, he refused. He did not need a college degree or a sophisticated understanding of the Constitution to take an impressive stand for the rights of citizenship and to demand some respect for his parents. If his parents were freed from the camps and allowed to go back to their farm in California, he would serve proudly, but until then, he refused. He was one of the first Nisei to refuse the draft. Even though James Omura, later defender of the Heart Mountain Fair Play Committee, suggested that these first Nisei were rash in their arguments and too disorganized to make a difference, Taguma did not back down. The JACL leaders, most notably Min Yasui and Joe Grant Masaoka, came to see Noboru Taguma and the other first four resisters in an effort to convince them to give up the fight. As Taguma recalled, “the JACL say, sacrifice your life to prove your loyalty.” But that was just crazy in Noboru’s mind. “We were loyal to America,” he said, “but the government itself was un-loyal to us.” With the support of his father, who urged him to stick with whatever decision he made, Noboru Taguma resisted the draft and later renounced his citizenship in an effort to bring the family together and to get them to Tule Lake – a little closer to home than Granada, Colorado. Despite the fact that Taguma’s efforts to reunite the family did not work out as planned, and despite the fact that the JACL did not recognize his principled resistance until 2002, Taguma knew that he did the right thing in standing up against injustice during the war.
Salt of the Earth, and among those few who can claim credit for having pulled us away from the brink of self-destruction, just by being who he was.
Addendum: Thanks to Mitch who found a link to Taguma’s obit, and a pdf of his letter to, I guess whatever was the contemporary counterpart to the Selective Service Administration. There’s also a photo of Taguma through Mitch’s link in the thread.
14 comments
Comments feed for this article
February 26, 2012 at 3:27 pm
Joel Mielke
I’m humbled by such an astoundingly courageous person.
February 26, 2012 at 4:34 pm
tra
This man, and the rest of those who were drafted while being held prisoner in concentration camps, were being ordered to risk their lives in the fight against racist, xenophobic, authoritarian forces overseas, at the same time that they and their families were being victimized by racist, xenophobic, authoritarian forces at home.
In a world gone mad, resisters like Mr. Taguma refused to surrender to the insanity around them. Eventually, President Truman gave him a pardon, but he should have been given a medal.
February 26, 2012 at 5:09 pm
Mitch
Thanks for the inspiring link and excerpt. Based on this story, the man “dodged” nothing. He rightfully refused to fight in the military of a nation which was imprisoning his parents for their ancestry. His full obit is available at the site you link to, but at this link: http://taguma.org.
Eric, please consider changing the headline. He was a draft refuser, or a draft resister, not a draft dodger. He did not flee the United States, and he actually snuck IN to our concentration camps to visit with his parents.
February 26, 2012 at 5:12 pm
Eric Kirk
Good point Mitch.
February 26, 2012 at 5:42 pm
Mitch
People interested in Noboru Taguma may also be interested to discover some background on another war resister, Bradley Manning.
I do not mean to compare them except in that both were initially trashed by the United States government as criminals. The 20 minute film below is worth viewing if you’d like to hear something about Manning that goes beyond what the American mainstream media puts out.
http://www.5min.com/Video/Background-of-Wikileaks-Whistleblower-Bradley-Manning-517240868
February 26, 2012 at 5:46 pm
Bolithio
Good story. Thanks!
February 27, 2012 at 2:45 pm
HUUFC
Bradley Manning is a traitor, life in prison is a good start for him.
February 28, 2012 at 9:59 pm
moviedad
What kind of society is this where a man who exposes crimes against humanity is a traitor, and the man who commits crimes against humanity is a hero?
March 2, 2012 at 5:27 pm
Joel Mielke
Bradley Manning is a courageous whistleblower. I wish there were more people like him.
March 3, 2012 at 8:29 am
Erasmus
He’s not a whistleblower —- he’s a dumper, and I doubt that he had any idea what was contained in the thousands of documents he flushed onto the world’s stage.I’m all for leniency in this case,for Manning seems to be a troubled young man,and he should not have been allowed into the situation that offered such a temptation. As for what he dumped — the news magazines I read have remarked on the favorable impression of US diplomacy conveyed by the documents.— And here’s today’s truism: any country on the planet would indict a Bradley Manning. (The reasons are obvious.)
March 3, 2012 at 8:54 am
Mitch
Actually, Erasmus, there aren’t many countries in the world that have videos of their pilots shooting at people. Just food for thought.
March 3, 2012 at 10:08 am
Erasmus
“Food for thought” —- and this is what I’ve ….produced. — If our government filmed the shooting and preserved the evidence, then my inclination is to suspect that no evidence of criminality was seen. That may,of course,be delusional, but it hardly warrants the belief that a war-crime was committed. Video footage is low on context, and “pilots shooting at people” is regrettably common around the world, though it’s doubtful that Syrian pilots will have to deal with the antics of a Bradley Manning.– And, thanks to Manning, our government will probably be much more circumspect in the future and much more careful of preserving secrecy.(Thanks a lot,Bradley.)
March 3, 2012 at 10:16 am
Mitch
No, Erasmus, Syrian pilots will probably not face the rule of law. The more relevant question is, “will American politicians?”
Yes, video is low on context. But in a democracy, the people are entitled — and perhaps should be required — to know what their government is doing. If the activity is justifiable, it can be justified. If it is not justifiable, all the more reason for citizens to be made aware of what is being done in our names.
There are probably good reasons for some government secrecy. But I’m certain that government secrecy is heavily abused. It should be a last resort, not a first assumption.
March 12, 2012 at 5:59 am
Mitch
“The UN special rapporteur on torture has formally accused the US government of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment towards Bradley Manning, the US soldier who was held in solitary confinement for almost a year on suspicion of being the WikiLeaks source.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/12/bradley-manning-cruel-inhuman-treatment-un