"If you see this film, and you should, you'll understand completely why audiences rave about it."
"The documentary contains a great lesson to these difficult times, when bigotry and bias are on the rise: diversity is what has made America great."
"In this time, especially, with many immigrants having their military service questioned and even ended, Proof of Loyalty is a powerful reminder that America operates best, even during times of war, when it embraces its diversity."
“Proof of Loyalty is a timely film that explores the power of diversity in a time of war.”
“This film may be about men from decades past, but it couldn’t be more relevant.”
“A meticulous, powerful, and all too timely film.”
Statement from the Filmmakers
We have had the honor to make many films about the Japanese American experience during World War II but Kazuo Yamane’s story opened up a chapter unknown to us and most Americans. Hawaii, harboring important military facilities and 2500 miles closer to Japan than the West Coast, had a population consisting of nearly 40% Japanese ancestry when Pearl Harbor was bombed in late 1941. But unlike the mass incarcerations on the mainland only a small percentage of Japanese Americans were confined in Hawaii. The Nisei, the second generation American citizens, volunteered in massive numbers from Hawaii to serve in the US Army, both in combat and as intelligence personnel. And of all their exceptional heroics and important service, none had a more unusual and interesting war than Kazuo Yamane.
Kazuo Yamane, first educated in the discriminatory Hawaiian school system, and eventually graduating from Waseda University, the Harvard of Japan, was drafted into the US Army just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Plucked from the infantry ranks for his exceptional knowledge of Japanese, he would serve at the Pentagon, then a secret facility in northern Maryland, and finally under Eisenhower in Europe. Most importantly, he would identify a secret document that would significantly help America’s war in the Pacific.
The absolute loyalty of the Nisei soldiers in World War II, despite discrimination and incarceration provides an insight for us today. These American citizens protected their beloved country, even while many Americans suspected them of being the enemy. Diversity powers America, but also keeps us safe—one only has to look at these Nisei, like Kazuo Yamane, for ample proof."
-Filmmakers Lucy Ostrander and Don Sellers
Please see our trailer below.