Abstract:
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States government forced anyone of Japanese ancestry to move to relocation camps for the remainder of World War II. Robert and Toshi Akamatsu were only newlyweds when they were ordered to leave their homes in California and go to the Tanforan Racetrack in San Bruno, CA. They slept in stalls recently vacated by race horses and spent the summer waiting to find out where they’d be sent next. Their new home would be in the middle of the Utah desert at “Camp Topaz”. This true story of their internment experience is based on Robert’s memoirs, which were written for their 60th wedding anniversary.