The Akune brothers: Siblings on opposite sides of war - Wendell Oshiro

Translator: Ahmed Yousify Reviewer: Mehmet Sıddık Dilek

There are many stories that can be told about World War II,

Gellek çîrokên trajîk û balkêş

from the tragic to the inspring.

derbarê şerê cîhanê yê duyem de hene.

But perhaps one of the most heartrending experiences

Lê çîroka herî dilêş ya malbata Akune ye

was that of the Akune family,

ku şer ew ji hev veqetandiya.

divided by the war against each other and against their own identities.

Wan li dijî hev û li dijî nasnameya xwe şer kirin.

Ichiro Akune and his wife Yukiye

Ichiro Akune û jina xwe Yukiye

immigrated to America from Japan in 1918

ji bo derfetên jiyanê

ji Japonya’yê koçî Amerîka’yê bûn.

in search of opportunity,

opening a small grocery store in central California

Li California’yê dikana mêwefiroşiyê vekir,

and raising nine children.

û neh zarokên xwe mezin kirin.

But when Mrs. Akune died in 1933,

Lê piştî sala 1933 xanima Akune mir ,

the children were sent to live with relatives in Japan,

zarok û bavê xwe vegeriyan Japonya’yê,

their father following soon after.

hatin cem nasên xwe.

Though the move was a difficult adjustment

Lê piştî jiyîna li Amerîka’yê

after having been born and raised in America,

hînbûna jiyaneke nû dijwar bû.

the oldest son, Harry, formed a close bond with his grand uncle,

Birayê mezin Harry, ji mamê xwe

who taught him the Japanese language, culture and values.

fêrî ziman û çanda Japonî bû.

Nevertheless, as soon as Harry and his brother Ken

Dîsa jî Harry û birayê xwe Ken

were old enough to work,

dema mezin bûn,

they returned to the country they considered home,

vegeriyan devera ku wek welat dihesibandin,

settling near Los Angeles.

hatin Los Angeles’ê.

But then, December 7, 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Lê berfanbara 1941'î êrîşa Pearl Harbor çê bû.

Now at war with Japan,

Dema şerê Amerîka û Japonya’yê,

the United States government did not trust the loyalty

Amerîka ji welatiyên xwe yên ku eslê wan Japon bû

of those citizens who had family or ancestral ties to the enemy country.

ne ewle bû.

In 1942, about 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast

Di sala 1942’yan de, 120,000 Japonên welatiyên Amerîka’yê

ji jiyana xwe ya sivîl hatin bidûrxistin

were stripped of their civil rights

and forcibly relocated to internment camps,

bi zordarî di qampên wek girtigehan de hatin bicîkirin.

even though most of them, like Harry and Ken, were Nisei,

Mirovên wek Harry û Ken

American or dual citizens who had been born in the US

ku welatiyen du-alî ne û li Amerîka ji dayik bûne jî

to Japanese immigrant parents.

xistin nava qampan.

The brothers not only had very limited contact with their family in Japan,

Her du bira niha ji Japonya’yê dûr in,

but found themselves confined to a camp in a remote part of Colorado.

li qampeke Colorado’yê, ji dinyayê bêxeber dijîn.

But their story took another twist

Lê dema sîxurên artêşa Amerîka’yê tên qampê,

when recruiters from the US Army's military intelligence service

li kesên ku bi Japonî dizanin, digerin,

arrived at the camp looking for Japanese-speaking volunteers.

çîroka wan diguhere.

Despite their treatment by the government,

Herçiqas zordarî û zehmetî ditîbin jî,Harry û Ken

Harry and Ken jumped at the chance to leave the camp

Ji bo ku ji qampê xilas bibin û dilsoziya xwe nîşan bidin

and prove their loyalty as American citizens.

beşdarî artêşa Amerîka’yê dibin.

Having been schooled in Japan,

Piştî perwerdeyê,

they soon began their service,

dest bi kar dikin,

translating captured documents,

belgeyên bidestketî werdigerînin,

interrogating Japanese soldiers,

pirsan ji leşkerên Japon dikin,

and producing Japanese language propaganda

û ji bo ku leşkerên Japonyayî teslîm bibin

aimed at persuading enemy forces to surrender.

bi japonî propagandayê dikin.

The brothers' work was invaluable to the war effort,

Her du bira karên hêja dikin,

providing vital strategic information

zanyariyên stratejîk bi dest dixin,

about the size and location of Japanese forces.

cihe leşkerên japon deşîfre dikin.

But they still faced discrimination and mistrust from their fellow soldiers.

Lê di artêşê de rastî cihêbûnê û bê ewlehiyê tên.

Harry recalled an instance

Carekê dema bi paraşutê dadikevin,

where his combat gear was mysteriously misplaced

di nav çeperê dijmin de winda dibin.

just prior to parachuting into enemy territory,

Lê hevalên Harry

with the white officer reluctant to give him a weapon.

jê ewle nabin ku çek bidinê.

Nevertheless, both brothers continued to serve loyally

Dîsa jî her du bira heta dawiya şer

through the end of the war.

bi dilsozî xizmet dikirin.

But Harry and Ken were not the only Akune brothers fighting in the Pacific.

Lê ne tenê Harry û Ken, kesên ji malbata Akune’yê şer kirin.

Unbeknownst to them, two younger brothers,

Her du birayên biçûktir,

the third and fourth of the five Akune boys,

zarokên sêyem û çarem yên ji malbata Akune,

were serving dutifully in the Imperial Japanese Navy,

saburo di artêşa Japonya’yê de

di hêzên asîmanî de xizmet kir.

Saburo in the Naval Airforce,

and 15-year-old Shiro as an orientation trainer for new recruits.

Birayê biçûk yê 15 salî Shiro ji bo Japonya'yê leşker peyda kirin.

When the war ended, Harry and Ken served in the allied occupational forces

Piştî şer, Harry û Ken dema li herêmên dagirkirî dixebitîn,

and were seen as traitors by the locals.

wek xaîn dihatin dîtin.

When all the Akune brothers gathered at a family reunion

Wexta hemû bira li Kagoshima’yê

in Kagoshima for the first time in a decade,

hatin cem hev diyar dibe ku

it was revealed that the two pairs had fought on opposing sides.

li eniyên cuda li dijî hev şer kirine.

Tempers flared and a fight almost broke out

Pev dikevin, dike ku di navbera wan de şer derkeve,

until their father stepped in.

lê bavê wan tê û wan li hev tîne.

The brothers managed to make peace

Saburo û Shiro bi Harry û Ken re diçin California’yê,

and Saburo and Shiro joined Harry and Ken in California,

dûre di şerê Kore’yê de

and later fought for the US Army in Korea.

di artêşa Amerîka’yê de şer dikin.

It took until 1988 for the US government

Di sala 1988'an de Dewleta Amerîka’yê

to acknowledge the injustice of its internment camps

ji bo zordariya qampên Japonan

and approve reparations payments to survivors.

tazmînat da mexduran.

For Harry, though, his greatest regret was not having the courage

Harry digel ewqas fêrkirinê sipasiyan li Mamê xwe nekir,

to thank his Japanese grand uncle who had taught him so much.

pir poşman bû.

The story of the Akune brothers is many things:

Çîroka birayên Akune’yê gellek watedar e:

a family divided by circumstance,

malbatekê ji ber neçariyê ji hev vediqete,

the unjust treatment of Japanese Americans,

bê ewlehiya Amerîka bo welatiyên xwe yên japon,

and the personal struggle of reconciling two national identities.

û têkoşîna di navbera di nasnamayan de.

But it also reveals a larger story about American history:

Herwiha ev, çîrokeke girîng a dîroka Amerîka’yê ye:

the oppression faced by immigrant groups and their perseverance in overcoming it.

Çawa zordarî li penaberan hatiye kirin û têkoşîna penaberan a biserketî.

Ders: Wendell Oshiro,

Xwendin: Addison Anderson

Anîmasyon: Brandon Denmark.