The Asian American Women Who Fought to Make Their Mark in WWII
They worked as pilots, translators, guerrilla fighters and more.
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They worked as pilots, translators, guerrilla fighters and more.
Asian American women played a critical part in America’s war effort during World War II. Coming from diverse backgrounds—including Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Filipino—they served in important roles ranging from pilots and translators to factory workers and guerrilla fighters.
Yet they worked on behalf of a country that was far from welcoming. From the time of their arrival in the mid 19th century, people of Asian descent were denied basic citizenship and voting rights for at least a century. For Japanese American women hoping to contribute to the war effort, the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor ratcheted up barriers even further, as entire Japanese communities faced intense discrimination and incarceration in isolated prison camps. “For many, the impetus to serve came as a result of that racial discrimination—the desire to prove it wrong, and to demonstrate their commitment to the United States,” says Mika Kennedy, curator of the Japanese American historical exhibit Exiled to Motown.