GALLERY : Post Ano 1944 : Bobby Socks & Barbed Wire

They lived behind barbed wire in an arid, dusty wasteland, 18 miles from the nearest town.

From 1942 to 1945, almost 20,000 Japanese-Americans settled in barracks at three internment camps at Poston, Ariz.

For thousands of parents from Southern California who lost their businesses and homes, the experience was catastrophic. But for their children, an adventure was about to unfold. And high school would be their refuge.

“For me the memories are good ones,” says Hisako Nakachi Kokubun, who was crowned May Queen of 1944.

“I just accepted the camp life,” says Kei Kokubun, her brother-in-law. Adds Hisako: “School was our escape.”

Many of these memories were captured in the Post-Ano yearbook. Here are some photos and excerpts from Post-Ano ’44.

Say It With Song

Time Was when we all lived on Easy Street back in California . . . .Then suddenly the Sun Went Out . . . December 7th, and Remember Pearl Harbor? You’ll Never Know what went on in our Heart and Souls . They said, “We Have No Use for the Japs.” “What Is There to Do?” we asked. “Relocate-- It’s the Patriotic Thing to Do ,” they answered. . . .

Trains in the Night were heard as we slipped across the Arizona Desert. We were all So Tired and So Glad when we finally reached our destination--Poston--a spot in the Middle of Nowhere . . . .

Where Do I Go From Here ? Chicago ? To the Gal in Kalamazoo ? To the Old Kentucky Hills? When It’s All Over--When the Lights Go on Again --let every man be free to think, say, and do as he pleases-- It’s Great to Live in Freedom .