Diplomas long overdue Diplomas long overdue (July 01, 2005)

Hidden among the pomp and joy of graduation at Mountain View High School a few weeks ago was the incredible story of three graduates who earned their diplomas more than 60 years ago, but never received them.

These Japanese-American students expected to graduate in 1942 or 1945, but saw their lives drastically altered after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. Suddenly, Japan became a new enemy, with particular awareness of this fact on the West Coast.

Amid this backdrop, Japanese-American families in the Mountain View area were ordered from their homes and their belongings burned before they were herded onto trains bound for the cruelly misnamed Heart Mountain internment camp in Wyoming. And in the process, 25 Mountain View High seniors and many more underclassmen who were due to graduate in the next few years never received their diplomas.

The memories of these terrible days came rushing back to Toshiko Furuichi Kawamoto, George Yoshinaga and George Kunimoto a few weeks ago when they finally were invited to accept their diplomas, more than 60 years late. The three follow last year's presentation to Mary Sadako Kitahara.

For the school, these ceremonies simply meant adding a few caps and gowns to the more than 300 needed for this year's graduating class -- and, of course, a few extra diplomas. But to the proud Japanese-Americans who were needlessly torn away from their school and classmates long ago, this simple gesture had tremendous meaning. It was the long overdue acknowledgement that they had met the requirements, just like everyone else who received a diploma in 1943 or '45.

Mountain View High should be proud to have finally redressed a wrong that was no fault of its own. So far, four 1940s-era diplomas have been awarded. Let's hope more are on the way.

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