Camp Savage facts for kids
Camp Savage was a secret language school in the United States during World War II. It taught the Japanese language to soldiers and civilians. This helped the American war effort in many ways. People learned to talk to prisoners of war, translate important papers, and work with Japanese civilians. The school started in San Francisco but moved to Savage, Minnesota, in 1942. Later, it moved again to Fort Snelling in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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The Story of Camp Savage
As relations with Japan became difficult before World War II, some military officers saw a big need. They knew the U.S. military would need people who understood the Japanese language. Very few American soldiers who were not of Japanese descent knew Japanese. There was not enough time to train many new people.
Finding Language Experts
Officers like John Weckerling and Kai E. Rasmussen were chosen to lead this new school. They found Japanese Americans, also called Nisei, who were skilled in Japanese. These Nisei soldiers, John F. Aiso and Arthur Kaneko, became the first teachers. Two civilian teachers, Akira Oshida and Shigeya Kihara, also joined. This group started the Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS).
Starting the School
The MISLS began in November 1941, just a month before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It started with a small budget of $2,000. The first class had 60 students. They trained at the Presidio of San Francisco. In May 1942, 45 students successfully finished their training.
Moving to Minnesota
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, many people felt angry towards Japanese Americans. President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. This order forced people with any Japanese family background to move away from the West Coast of the United States.
Minnesota's Governor Harold Stassen offered Camp Savage as a new home for the school. Camp Savage was a former work facility. The school moved to Minnesota in June 1942. This new location was larger. It also meant Japanese-American students could train without problems. They faced less unfair treatment there.
Growing and Moving Again
On June 1, 1942, a new class of 200 students and 18 teachers started at Camp Savage. The school grew very quickly. By August 1944, it needed even more space. So, it moved to nearby Fort Snelling.
After the war ended, the school's graduates did important work. They translated documents and helped as interpreters. They also played many roles in the occupation of Japan.
A Lasting Impact
In early 1946, the MISLS was at its busiest. It had 160 teachers and 3,000 students. They studied in over 125 classrooms. The last graduation at Fort Snelling was in June 1946. More than 300 students graduated that day. In total, over 6,000 students finished the MISLS program.
This special language program started small. But it became the beginning of the Defense Language Institute. This institute now trains thousands of language experts for the United States.
Many Japanese-American soldiers who trained in Minnesota decided to stay there. In 1940, only 51 people of Japanese heritage lived in Minnesota. By 1950, that number had grown to 1,049.
