Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2004 - 61

Doane College in Crete, Nebraska, where he remained until
the end of the war, teaching math, physics, and engineering
drawing to future Naval officers. After the war Al kept up with
many of his former students. In both 1993 and 1999 he was
honored at the Naval class reunions in Norfolk, VA, for his
contributions to the success of the program.
These were the bare-bones facts of Al's experience as he
relayed them during our interview. As a World War II history
buff, I was perhaps more familiar than most with the plight of
Japanese American internees during the war, but had never had
the opportunity to discuss the experience with one of the victims.
Throughout his narrative I was most impressed by the quiet dignity of the man and the fact that he exhibited no rancor or bitterness. In fact, quite the opposite, as he related several humorous
observations on his experience. I frankly wasn't able and didn't
feel it would have been appropriate to press him at that time. Afterwards though, when we all went to lunch, I sat with Al and
talked with him in more detail about those years.
The circumstances and conditions of Tule Lake have been
well documented, but I was curious about his experiences in
the American heartland; what had that been like? Surely that
had been a relief? "In many ways," he confided, "but still there
were restrictions." Throughout his two-plus years at Doane,
he was assigned to a dorm and restricted to the campus unless
within the custody of a campus official. Even when the war
ended he wasn't free to leave on his own. How had he come to
Chicago? Before he could be released he had to have the commit-

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ment of an employer and a sponsor who would take responsibility
for him. Fortunately, he had a brother in theological seminary in
Chicago, and these things were arranged.
At the end of his story I was near speechless. Still this
quiet, dignified man with the kind, gentle eyes had displayed
no sign of enmity or resentment. When I asked how he apparently avoided such feelings, despite all that had been done to
himself and his family, his manner became very serious and
earnest as he tried to explain. "You have to remember the time
and how very scared everyone was after Pearl Harbor," he
said. "Fortunately, I think that we've all learned better. After
all," he said gesturing toward his long-time friends and the
others sitting at our table, "these are the real Americans."
I was to never again speak with Al Koga after that day and
was deeply saddened to hear of his passing in the spring of
2003. As the days and years since his interview have passed
I've found the memory of Al and his experiences to be haunting. I would often find myself thinking about this memorable,
gentle man-this member of our greatest generation-and
his American experience. And I would feel inspired and
humbled. With all he had endured, how had he managed to
accomplish so much and find such peace? I felt that the answer lay in his faith in the "real Americans," and his hope that
we had learned from our mistakes.
In the days following 9-11, we all experienced anger,
fear, and patriotic pride; since that day, Al's memory has been

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