05/09/2026
Siblings Frances and Frank Iritani answered the call to serve during World War II while incarcerated at Poston.
Serving in the Women’s Army Corps at Tyndall Field in Florida, Frances performed critical non-combat roles such as clerical work, telephone operations, and administrative support to free men for combat duty. She underwent rigorous military training, including drills, physical fitness, gas mask instruction, and self-defense. Frances engaged with people from all walks of life, believing that each interaction could challenge stereotypes and help future generations understand Japanese Americans as full citizens.
Frank Iritani joined the Military Intelligence Service as a Japanese language linguist. After the war, Frank became active in the Redress Movement, helping mobilize Japanese Americans into the political process. He and his wife Joanne Iritani worked to preserve the history of wartime incarceration through education and community organizing and wrote Ten Visits, a travel guide documenting ten former War Relocation Authority camps.
Learn more about the Iritani Siblings at Go For Broke National Education Center’s traveling exhibition “Courage and Compassion” opening at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens today!
Image courtesy of the National Park Service
