picture, Mary Masuda, Jerome or Gila River, 1940s
date: label: date made
content: circa 1940s
notes: label: Description
content: This photograph is of Mary Masuda, Masao's sister, posing in front of a backdrop in a shirt and pearls. The photographer was probably Masao Masuda, who was her brother, and an amateur photographer imprisoned in the prison camps Jerome, Arkansas, and Gila River, Arizona with his family. Those of Japanese descent were forcibly relocated to these prison camps during WWII following Executive Order 9066. Masao Masuda took and developed all his photos in the camps.
label: Description
content: Mary Masuda traveled back to her Orange County family home to survey the conditions prior to her family's departure from the Gila, Arizona prison camp. However, upon her arrival, she was met by four men who called themselves the "Patriots" (they were part of a group called The Native Sons of the Golden West, a fraternal organization based in California). They threatened Mary and warned her not to move back with her family to her family home. She was told to leave and go back to her "concentration camp". Mary bravely stayed and returned to her family home in Talbert despite repeated threats. She told the men that her brothers were overseas fighting in the war, but they did not listen. The local sheriff ignored her call for help, and her story went national.
label: Description
content: Mary received support from all over the country, her family moved back in to their home, and to show support, Lt. General Joseph W. Stillwell ("Vinegar-Joe") came to Mary's family home and pinned Kazuo's Distinguished Service Cross to her on her front porch. This was the first time in United States Army history that a four-star general traveled 3,000 miles to present a medal. The medal is usually awarded at an Army installation, but this was a special case to honor Mary for her bravery. Stillwell stated that it was an honor to present the award, and after he pinned the medal to Mary, Mary turned and pinned the medal to her mother's dress. Captain Ronald Reagan (who would become President Ronald Reagan) was present at this ceremony.
label: Description
content: At a rally at the Santa Ana Bowl later that same day, Lt. General Stilwell said that "the amount of money, the color of one's skin" does not make a measure of Americanism. He stated that Sergeant Masuda was a better American than anyone present at the rally that day.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Japanese American
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Masao Masuda
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2015.0105.063
label: accession number
content: 2015.0105
label: catalog number
content: 2015.0105.063
objectType: label: Object Name
content: photograph
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 3 1/4 in x 2 1/2 in; 8.255 cm x 6.35 cm