[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.00,0:00:02.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[chime]\N[water drop echoes]
Dialogue: 0,0:00:02.59,0:00:05.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[TED intro plays]
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.61,0:00:12.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[applause]
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.30,0:00:15.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,-I'm a veteran\Nof the Starship Enterprise.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.69,0:00:16.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[audience laughs and whoops]
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.98,0:00:19.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I soared through the galaxy
Dialogue: 0,0:00:19.95,0:00:22.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,driving a huge starship
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.71,0:00:27.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with a crew made up of people\Nfrom all over this world:
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.15,0:00:30.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,many different races,\Nmany different cultures,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.57,0:00:34.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,many different heritages\Nall working together.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.41,0:00:38.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And our mission was\Nto explore strange new worlds,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.28,0:00:41.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to seek out new life\Nand new civilizations,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.00,0:00:46.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to boldly go\Nwhere no one has gone before.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.74,0:00:50.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well\N[chuckles]
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.20,0:00:55.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[scattered applause]
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.26,0:00:57.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I am the grandson
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.39,0:01:01.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of immigrants from Japan\Nwho went to America,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.92,0:01:05.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,boldly going to a strange new world,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.22,0:01:08.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,seeking new opportunities.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.55,0:01:11.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My mother was born\Nin Sacramento, California.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.52,0:01:14.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My father was a San Franciscan.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.04,0:01:16.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They met and married in Los Angeles
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.80,0:01:20.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I was born there.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.82,0:01:22.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was four years old
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.74,0:01:24.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when Pearl Harbor was bombed
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.81,0:01:27.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on December 7, 1941
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.75,0:01:29.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by Japan,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.89,0:01:31.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and overnight,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.88,0:01:37.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the world was plunged into a world war.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.20,0:01:41.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,America suddenly\Nwas swept up by hysteria.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.47,0:01:45.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Japanese Americans,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.24,0:01:48.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,American citizens of Japanese ancestry,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.26,0:01:52.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were looked on with suspicion,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.01,0:01:53.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and fear,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.96,0:01:56.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and with outright hatred
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.75,0:01:58.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,simply because
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.28,0:02:02.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we happened to look like the people\Nthat bombed Pearl Harbor.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.21,0:02:05.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the hysteria grew and grew
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.39,0:02:09.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,until on February 1942,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.41,0:02:11.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the President of the United States,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.36,0:02:13.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.67,0:02:18.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ordered all Japanese Americans\Non the West Coast of America
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.41,0:02:21.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be summarily rounded up
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.02,0:02:26.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with no charges, with no trial,\Nwith no due process.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.72,0:02:30.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Due Process is the core pillar\Nof our justice system.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.95,0:02:33.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That all disappeared.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.50,0:02:36.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We were to be rounded up and imprisoned
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.56,0:02:39.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in ten barbed-wire prison camps
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.86,0:02:43.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in some of the most desolate places\Nin America:
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.94,0:02:47.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the blistering hot desert of Arizona,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.27,0:02:50.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the sultry swamps of Arkansas,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.75,0:02:54.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the wastelands\Nof Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colorado,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.83,0:02:59.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and two of the most desolate places\Nin California.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.96,0:03:04.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On April 20,\NI celebrated my fifth birthday,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.94,0:03:08.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and just a few weeks after my birthday,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.45,0:03:10.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my parents got my younger brother,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.00,0:03:15.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my baby sister,\Nand me up very early one morning,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.17,0:03:18.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they dressed us hurriedly.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.26,0:03:20.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My brother and I were in the living room
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.60,0:03:23.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,looking out the front window,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.69,0:03:27.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we saw two soldiers\Nmarching up our driveway.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.53,0:03:32.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They carried bayonets on their rifle.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.03,0:03:37.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They stomped up the front porch\Nand banged on the door.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.43,0:03:39.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My father answered it,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.53,0:03:44.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and these soldiers\Nordered us out of our home.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.33,0:03:48.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My father gave my brother\Nand me small luggages to carry,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.35,0:03:51.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we walked out\Nand stood on the driveway
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.89,0:03:54.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,waiting for our mother to come out.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.56,0:03:58.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when my mother finally came out,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.04,0:04:01.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,she had our baby sister in one arm,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.10,0:04:04.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a huge duffel bag in the other,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.43,0:04:09.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and tears\Nwere streaming down both her cheeks.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.59,0:04:13.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I will never be able\Nto forget that scene.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.43,0:04:17.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is burned into my memory.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.93,0:04:20.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We were taken from our home
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.30,0:04:22.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and loaded onto train cars
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.00,0:04:26.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with other Japanese American families.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.03,0:04:30.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There were guards stationed\Nat both ends of each car
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.83,0:04:33.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as if we were criminals.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.47,0:04:37.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We were taken two thirds\Nof the way across the country,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.73,0:04:41.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rocking on that train\Nfor four days and three nights,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.84,0:04:45.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the swamps of Arkansas.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.59,0:04:50.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I still remember the barbed-wire fence\Nthat confined me.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.27,0:04:52.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember the tall sentry tower
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.94,0:04:57.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the machine guns pointed at us.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.05,0:04:59.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember the search light\Nthat followed me
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.84,0:05:04.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when I made the night runs\Nfrom my barrack to the latrine,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.43,0:05:06.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but to five year old me,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.95,0:05:09.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I thought it was kind of nice\Nthat they lit the way for me to pee.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.89,0:05:12.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[audeince laughs]
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.49,0:05:14.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was a child,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.32,0:05:19.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,too young to understand\Nthe circumstances of my being there.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.48,0:05:24.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Children are amazingly adaptable.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.19,0:05:27.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What would be grotesquely abnormal
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.37,0:05:29.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,became my normality
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.11,0:05:33.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the prison of war camps.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:33.92,0:05:37.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It became routine for me\Nto line up three times a day
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.48,0:05:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to eat lousy food\Nin a noisy mess hall.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.01,0:05:44.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It became normal for me\Nto go with my father
Dialogue: 0,0:05:44.55,0:05:47.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to bathe in a mass shower.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:47.79,0:05:52.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Being in a prison,\Na barbed-wire prison camp,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.04,0:05:55.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,became my normality.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.43,0:05:57.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When the war ended,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.08,0:05:59.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we were released
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.24,0:06:04.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and given a one way ticket\Nto anywhere in the United States.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:04.61,0:06:09.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My parents decided to go back home\Nto Los Angeles,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.41,0:06:13.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but Los Angeles\Nwas not a welcoming place.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:13.88,0:06:15.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We were penniless.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.08,0:06:17.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Everything had been taken from us,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.27,0:06:19.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the hostility was intense.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.82,0:06:22.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Our first home was on Skid Row
Dialogue: 0,0:06:22.94,0:06:27.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the lowest part of our city,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.56,0:06:29.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,living with derelicts,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.45,0:06:32.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,drunkards, and crazy people;
Dialogue: 0,0:06:32.06,0:06:36.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the stench of urine\Nall over on the street,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:36.68,0:06:40.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the alley, in the hallway.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:40.34,0:06:43.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was a horrible experience.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.07,0:06:46.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And for us kids, it was terrorizing.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.58,0:06:49.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember once,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.07,0:06:51.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a drunkard came staggering down,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.92,0:06:56.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,fell down right in front of us,\Nand threw up.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:56.12,0:07:01.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My baby sister said,\N"Mama, let's go back home."
Dialogue: 0,0:07:01.28,0:07:05.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because behind barbed wires was,\Nfor us,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.13,0:07:09.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,home.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:09.14,0:07:12.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My parents worked hard\Nto get back on their feet.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:12.50,0:07:13.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We had lost everything.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:13.88,0:07:18.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were at the middle of their lives\Nand starting all over.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.14,0:07:20.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They worked their fingers to the bone,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.42,0:07:23.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and ultimately,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.21,0:07:25.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they were able\Nto get the capital together
Dialogue: 0,0:07:25.28,0:07:29.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to buy a three bedroom home\Nin a nice neighborhood.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:29.57,0:07:31.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I was a teenager,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:31.37,0:07:36.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I became very curious\Nabout my childhood imprisonment.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.11,0:07:38.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had read civics books
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.21,0:07:42.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that told me about the ideals\Nof American democracy:
Dialogue: 0,0:07:42.74,0:07:45.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"All men are created equal."
Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.80,0:07:51.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We have inalienable right to life,\Nliberty,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:51.35,0:07:53.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the pursuit of happiness.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:53.60,0:07:55.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I couldn't quite make that fit
Dialogue: 0,0:07:55.61,0:07:59.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with what I knew to be\Nmy childhood imprisonment.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:59.18,0:08:01.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I read history books, and I could--
Dialogue: 0,0:08:01.18,0:08:04.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I couldn't find anything about it.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:04.33,0:08:07.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so, I engaged my father after dinner
Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.99,0:08:12.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in long, sometimes heated, conversations.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:12.37,0:08:15.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We had many, many conversations\Nlike that,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.73,0:08:20.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and what I got from them\Nwas my father's wisdom.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:20.32,0:08:22.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He was the one that suffered the most
Dialogue: 0,0:08:22.75,0:08:25.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,under those conditions of imprisonment,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:25.90,0:08:30.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and yet he understood American democracy.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:30.01,0:08:35.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He told me that our democracy\Nis a people's democracy,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:35.02,0:08:37.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it can be as great\Nas a people can be,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:37.99,0:08:43.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it is also as fallible as people are.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.30,0:08:47.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He told me that American democracy\Nis vitally dependent
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.23,0:08:49.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on good people
Dialogue: 0,0:08:49.39,0:08:53.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who cherish the ideals of our system
Dialogue: 0,0:08:53.53,0:08:56.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and actively engage
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.05,0:08:59.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the process\Nof making our democracy work.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:59.74,0:09:03.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And he took me to a campaign headquarter.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:03.58,0:09:07.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The governor of Illinois\Nwas running for the presidency,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:07.15,0:09:12.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and introduced me\Nto American electoral politics.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:12.25,0:09:16.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And he also told me\Nabout young Japanese Americans
Dialogue: 0,0:09:16.30,0:09:19.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,during the Second World War.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:19.33,0:09:21.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When Pearl Harbor was bombed,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:21.79,0:09:25.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,young Japanese Americans,\Nlike all young Americans,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:25.03,0:09:27.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rushed to their draft board
Dialogue: 0,0:09:27.37,0:09:30.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to volunteer to fight for our country.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:30.76,0:09:33.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That act of patriotism
Dialogue: 0,0:09:33.46,0:09:37.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was answered with a slap in the face.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:37.57,0:09:40.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We were denied service
Dialogue: 0,0:09:40.60,0:09:46.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and categorized as "Enemy non-alien".
Dialogue: 0,0:09:46.57,0:09:49.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was outrageous to be called an enemy
Dialogue: 0,0:09:49.72,0:09:52.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when you're volunteering\Nto fight for your country,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:52.78,0:09:57.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but that was compounded with the word,\N"non-alien,"
Dialogue: 0,0:09:57.07,0:10:00.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is\Na word that means
Dialogue: 0,0:10:00.38,0:10:04.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a citizen in the negative.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:04.54,0:10:08.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They even took the word,\Ncitizen, away from us,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:08.23,0:10:12.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and imprisoned them for a whole year.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:12.55,0:10:14.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then the government realized
Dialogue: 0,0:10:14.68,0:10:19.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that there is\Na wartime manpower shortage,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:19.06,0:10:23.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and as suddenly as they rounded us up,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:23.38,0:10:28.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they opened up the military for service\Nby young Japanese Americans.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:28.57,0:10:30.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was totally irrational.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:30.91,0:10:33.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the amazing thing,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:33.58,0:10:35.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the astounding thing,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:35.71,0:10:40.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that thousands\Nof young Japanese American men and women,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:40.81,0:10:44.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,again, went\Nfrom behind those barbed-wire fences,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:44.38,0:10:48.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,put on the same uniform\Nas that of our guards,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:48.13,0:10:51.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,leaving their families in imprisonment
Dialogue: 0,0:10:51.40,0:10:53.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to fight for this country.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:53.83,0:10:55.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They said that they were going to fight,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:55.93,0:10:59.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not only to get their families out
Dialogue: 0,0:10:59.14,0:11:01.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from behind those barbed-wire fences,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:01.72,0:11:04.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but because they cherish the very ideal
Dialogue: 0,0:11:04.87,0:11:09.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of what our government stands for--\Nshould stand for--
Dialogue: 0,0:11:09.10,0:11:13.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that was being abrogated\Nby what was being done.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:15.61,0:11:17.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"All men are created equal,"
Dialogue: 0,0:11:17.98,0:11:21.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they went to fight for this country.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:21.31,0:11:23.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were put into a segregated,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:23.14,0:11:25.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all Japanese American unit,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:25.63,0:11:28.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and sent to the battlefields of Europe.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:28.21,0:11:31.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they threw themselves into it.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:31.33,0:11:34.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They fought with amazing,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:34.03,0:11:37.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,incredible courage and valor.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:37.72,0:11:41.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were sent out\Non the most dangerous missions,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:41.11,0:11:44.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they sustained\Nthe highest combat casualty rate
Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.26,0:11:47.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of any unit proportionally.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:47.92,0:11:51.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's one battle that illustrates that.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:51.50,0:11:54.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was a battle for the Gothic Line.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:54.32,0:11:58.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Germans were embedded\Nin this mountain hillside,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:58.88,0:12:03.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rocky hillside, in impregnable caves,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:03.38,0:12:06.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and three allied battalions
Dialogue: 0,0:12:06.32,0:12:09.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had been pounding away at it\Nfor six months,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:09.68,0:12:11.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they were stalemated.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:11.96,0:12:15.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The 442nd was called in
Dialogue: 0,0:12:15.23,0:12:18.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to add to the fight,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:18.14,0:12:23.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the men of the 442nd\Ncame up with a unique,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:23.63,0:12:25.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but dangerous idea.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:26.00,0:12:30.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The back side of the mountain\Nwas a sheer rock cliff.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:30.50,0:12:32.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Germans thought
Dialogue: 0,0:12:32.23,0:12:36.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an attack from the backside\Nwould be impossible.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:36.20,0:12:40.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The men of the 442nd\Ndecided to do the impossible.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:40.94,0:12:44.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On a dark, moonless night,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:44.42,0:12:48.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they began scaling that rock wall,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:48.56,0:12:52.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a drop of more than 1000 feet.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:52.19,0:12:55.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In full combat gear
Dialogue: 0,0:12:55.04,0:12:57.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they climbed all night long
Dialogue: 0,0:12:57.64,0:13:02.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on that sheer cliff.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:02.72,0:13:04.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the darkness,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:04.37,0:13:08.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some lost their handhold\Nor their footing,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:08.45,0:13:12.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they fell to their death\Nin the ravine below.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:12.68,0:13:16.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They all fell silently.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:16.70,0:13:19.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not a single one cried out,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:19.22,0:13:22.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so as not to give their position away.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:22.64,0:13:26.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The men climbed for eight hours straight,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:26.54,0:13:29.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and those who made it to the top
Dialogue: 0,0:13:29.87,0:13:33.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,stayed there\Nuntil the first break of light.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:33.96,0:13:38.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as soon as light broke,\Nthey attacked.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:38.61,0:13:40.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Germans were surprised,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:40.56,0:13:45.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they took the hill\Nand broke the Gothic Line.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:45.39,0:13:47.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A six month stalemate
Dialogue: 0,0:13:47.32,0:13:49.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was broken by the 442nd
Dialogue: 0,0:13:49.34,0:13:52.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in 32 minutes.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:52.53,0:13:56.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was an amazing act,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:56.07,0:13:57.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and when the war ended,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:57.81,0:14:02.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the 442nd returned to the United States
Dialogue: 0,0:14:02.43,0:14:07.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as the most decorated unit\Nof the entire second world war.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:07.77,0:14:09.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were greeted back\Non the White House lawn
Dialogue: 0,0:14:09.99,0:14:11.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by President Truman,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:11.61,0:14:16.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who said to them,\N"You fought not only the enemy,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:16.35,0:14:20.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but prejudice, and you won."
Dialogue: 0,0:14:20.97,0:14:24.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They are my heroes.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:24.33,0:14:27.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They clung to their belief
Dialogue: 0,0:14:27.60,0:14:30.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the shining ideals of this country.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:30.63,0:14:32.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they proved
Dialogue: 0,0:14:32.34,0:14:34.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that being an American
Dialogue: 0,0:14:34.86,0:14:38.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is not just for some people,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:38.10,0:14:43.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that race is not how we define\Nbeing an American.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:43.38,0:14:47.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They expanded what it means\Nto be an American,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:47.01,0:14:49.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,including Japanese Americans
Dialogue: 0,0:14:49.35,0:14:53.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that were feared,\Nand suspected, and hated.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:53.64,0:14:56.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were change agents,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:56.82,0:15:01.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they left for me a legacy.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:01.50,0:15:03.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They are my heroes,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:03.36,0:15:05.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and my father is my hero,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:05.73,0:15:08.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who understood democracy and--
Dialogue: 0,0:15:08.37,0:15:11.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and guided me through it.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:11.49,0:15:14.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They gave me a legacy,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:14.07,0:15:17.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and with that legacy\Ncomes a responsibility,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:17.73,0:15:19.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I am dedicated
Dialogue: 0,0:15:19.93,0:15:22.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to making my country
Dialogue: 0,0:15:22.06,0:15:25.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an even better America,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:25.15,0:15:27.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to making our government
Dialogue: 0,0:15:27.73,0:15:30.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an even truer democracy.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:30.85,0:15:34.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And because of the heroes that I have
Dialogue: 0,0:15:34.36,0:15:38.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the struggles\Nthat we have gone through,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:38.29,0:15:42.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I can stand before you\Nas a gay Japanese American.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:42.91,0:15:45.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But even more than that,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:45.64,0:15:49.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I am a proud American.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:49.42,0:15:50.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you very much.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:50.62,0:15:52.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[applause]
Dialogue: 0,0:15:52.20,0:15:54.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[musical sting]\N[outro music]