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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 30, 2020)
W EDNESDAY , S EPTEMBER 30, 2020 2020 H ISTORY S ECTION B1 Grant County makes its mark in World War II As the Second World War came to an end 75 years ago, the Blue Mountain Eagle reported on the heroics and honorable service of many local residents who served U.S. Navy photo The USS Missouri, where the Japanese signed official documents surrendering in World War II. By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle Seventy-five years ago, the 33rd President of the United States, Harry Truman, announced the end of World War II as Japan surrendered a month after atomic bombs leveled Hiro- shima and Nagasaki. Men from various parts of Grant County, from doctors to principals and more, began returning to the community after serving their coun- try. Many of their stories of hero- ism, awards and experiences were reported by the Blue Mountain Eagle in 1945 as life after the war began to settle. Aug. 17, 1945 Japanese Surrender Ends War! “The war is over!” states an article from the Eagle. “At 7 p.m. Tuesday, President Truman announced Japa- nese acceptance of surrender terms and read the formal message relayed from Emperor Hirohito through the Swiss government...” To rejoice in victory, Grant County towns joined for a Gala Cel- ebration of the landmark occasion, according to the Aug. 17 edition of The Eagle. “Announcement of the Japanese capitulation set off joyful and noisy celebrations in all Grant County towns,” The Eagle reported. “In John Day and Canyon City streets were jammed shortly following the radio announcement of the war’s end. The touting of the car horns, the ringing of the church bells and the shriek of the fire sirens told the glad story.” The energy was the same in Prai- rie City and they had street dances followed by a free dance at the Grange Hall which filled the build- ing to capacity. Mt. Vernon also cel- ebrated with a big dance that night. This edition of the Eagle also began reporting the stories of various men in service from Grant County during the war. USS Lexington Survivor Home from South Pacific Robert E. Wright, Motor Machin- ist 2/c, is home on a 30-day leave after active duty in the South Pacific. He is visiting in Seneca with his wife Bette, son Jack, 20 months, and Mr. and Mrs. C.J. Wright. Wright has been in the Navy for four years, during which time he has served on the Atlantic, and recently has seen action in the Leyte, Luzon and Okinawa invasions. He is a sur- vivor of the USS Lexington sink- ing during the early part of this war. Upon completion of his leave, Wright will report to San Francisco, Califor- nia, for further assignment. Aug. 24, 1945 Overseas veterans headed for home A group of overseas veterans flown from Europe into Miami Army Air Field by the Air Transport Com- mand were heading for their homes in California and Oregon Tues- day hoping it was the last day of the war. Some were slated for separa- tion from the service, but many oth- ers were destined for further action in the Pacific after furloughs. Included in the group was a Prairie City Man: S/Sgt. Tom F. Edmunson, 27, 3rd Infantry Division, 32 months service overseas terminated in Germany, eight battle stars, invasion arrowhead shared distinguished unit citation. Dayville man aboard Mighty A: Lent’s fighting spirit kept him alive for four years as a prisoner of war Future John Day business owner captured and interned with over 1,000 other civilian contractors on Wake Island in the western Pacific Ocean in 1941 By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle John Day resident Leslie Traylor said her father, Oscar “Whitey” Lent, was always just her dad. However, before he was her dad, Lent, a longtime John Day resident and busi- ness owner who died in 1982, was one of over 1,000 civil- ian contractors taken prisoner in December 1941, when Jap- anese troops overran Wake Island in the western Pacific Ocean. “He was just our dad, but when you look at (his diary), you can see he was another person before he was our dad,” she said. “Before us, dad had a whole other life.” Author Bonita “Bonnie” The Eagle/Steven Mitchell Leslie Traylor looks at memorabilia from her father, Oscar Lent, who spent four years in an internment camp after being cap- tured as a civilian contractor on Wake Island. Gilbert, who teaches history at North Idaho College, said the Battle of Wake Island, a 16-day siege, occurred the same day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Gil- bert said most civilians aided Marines in the defense and the manning of the guns to defend the island. Gilbert, who wrote “Build- ing for War: The Epic Saga of the Civilian Contractors and Marines of Wake Island in World War II,” said 93 Amer- icans were killed, while many more were rounded up and captured, including Lent and Gilbert’s father, Ted Olson, and grandfather, Harry Olson. Gilbert said 44 civilians and 49 soldiers died in the siege. She said the Japanese massacred an additional 98 civilian prisoners of war on the island in 1943, and a total of 194 civilian and military POWs died on Wake Island from 1941 to 1945. As many of the 1,145 con- tractors, Lent worked for Morrison-Knudsen Co. of Boise and recruited laborers from the region to build roads on Wake Island. In winter 1941, the country was still in the midst of the Depression, and good-paying jobs were scarce. Gilbert said about 135 See Lent, Page B7 S204211-1 “ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE JAPANESE CAPITULATION SET OFF JOYFUL AND NOISY CELEBRATIONS IN ALL GRANT COUNTY TOWNS. IN JOHN DAY AND CANYON CITY STREETS WERE JAMMED SHORTLY FOLLOWING THE RADIO ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WAR’S END. THE TOUTING OF THE CAR HORNS, THE RINGING OF THE CHURCH BELLS AND THE SHRIEK OF THE FIRE SIRENS TOLD THE GLAD STORY.” —The Blue Mountain Eagle, Aug. 17, 1945 which raided Japanese mainland twice Clarence O. Salsbery, seaman, first class, USNR, is serving aboard this battleship which in one month’s time raided the Japanese mainland twice, bombarded a Japanese-held See WWII, Page B7 Beauty out of dust: 75 years later, Japanese-Americans remember World War II incarceration By Sierra Dawn McClain EO Media Group Morning sunlight spilled into the garage, illuminating a bent figure, about 5-foot-2. George Tsugawa was plucking weeds from potted plants. At 99, he still helps with the fami- ly-run nursery. Tsugawa Nursery, minutes from his home, is a marvel of floral carpets, Japanese maples and fairy-like bonsai forests, drawing garden enthusiasts from across the Northwest. But in addition to its invit- ing, multicolored beauty, the nursery holds a story of hard- ship and hope during wartime. Its founders, George and his late wife Mable, were both Jap- anese-American prison camp survivors. Seventy-five years ago this week — Sept. 2, 1945 — Japan formally surrendered, ending World War II. In the months following, thousands of Japa- nese-Americans, including the Tsugawa family, were released from prison camps that had isolated them. After the Japanese military bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, resentment and fear festered toward people of Jap- anese descent. Even those born in the U.S. as late as February 1942 were included in Pres- ident Franklin Delano Roos- evelt’s Executive Order No. 9066, which led to all Japa- nese-Americans on the West Coast — 120,000 people — to be put in prison camps, euphemistically called “intern- ment” centers. Most were U.S. citizens. High school students have learned about this chapter of World War II in history class. The lesser-known story is how the Japanese-American See Dust, Page B2 S204222-1 S204212-1
