Beneath Heavy Pines in World War II Louisiana: The Japanese American Internment Experience at Camp Livingston

December 7, 1941 changed the lives of thousands of Japanese Americans who became ＂enemy＂ in the eyes of the United States government within hours. With Pearl Harbor still smoldering, these men would be arrested and put into the enemy alien internment system. As the study of internment has steadily grown, the information about the confinement sites and ability to piece together the experiences of the men within has remained a challenging task.

Camp Livingston, famous as a site for the Louisiana Maneuvers, holds a darker and less well-known history. From 1942-1943, over 1,000 men of Japanese ancestry were held in this internment camp in the pine forests of central Louisiana. The authors approach this camp’s history via the experiences and linkages to and through two families, the Miyamotos and Koharas, who are the beating heart at the center of this saga. Through them, the authors have laid out a historical counter narrative that is part biography and part critical exploration of a forgotten chapter of American history.

This manuscript is the first of its kind to focus primarily on exploring Camp Livingston, arguably one of the lesser-known enemy alien internment camps, in depth including its layout, operations, and the daily life and experiences of the internees within.

Hayley Johnson is head of the Open Scholarship and Government Publications Department at Louisiana State University.
Sarah Simms is Undergraduate & Student Success Librarian at Louisiana State University.