There were fights and brawls and a lot of hard feelings. Others felt differently. Seven leaders of the Fair Play Committee had their convictions for conspiracy to violate the Selective Service Act overturned on appeal. President Harry S. Truman pardoned the rest of the resisters in 1947. But some in the Japanese-American community still have not forgiven them.
Veterans hold a revered place in the Japanese-American community.
The 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit in American military history, are hailed as heroes in many books and feature and documentary films. They are appreciated for their role in the fight not only against Germany and Japan but also against prejudice at home. The achievements of the veterans and the war dead, many Japanese-Americans believe, helped the entire community gain acceptance in U.S. society, and were crucial in 1988 in obtaining the U.S. government's apology and reparations for the internment. Given the emblematic role of the veterans, some resisters and their supporters have felt ostracized. Jimmy Omura, a journalist who wrote editorials supporting the resisters during the war, said that he could not find a job once peace came.