Before Reading Aleutian Sparrow

I sadly have to admit that the treatment of the Aleutian people doesn't surprise me at all. I hadn't heard anything at all about the hard times these people went through because of our government. However, I have heard of how the Japanese-Americans were treated in our country during World War II. I guess because of my former knowledge of the treatment of the Japanese-Americans I was not shocked at the treatment of the Aleutian people. Do not get me wrong, I think a horrible injustice was done to their people. I believe the U.S. government had a good idea, removing the Aleutian people out of harm's way, but went about it in a horrible way. Not that burning down the towns to keep Japanese from getting one up on us Americans isn't bad, but to then be forced to live like prisoners, after having done NOTHING wrong, is quite ridiculous. Our government should have spent much more time, money, and effort securing the Aleutian people a safe home away from home. Obviously our government had a lot on its plate dealing with Hitler and all, but the way they treated their own citizens is something that is hard to accept. I'm fully aware of why the Aleutians' story is not present in our history books, just like I rarely hear about the way the Japanese-Americans were treated. It's a dark chapter in our nation's history that we clearly feel ashamed about, but instead of shedding light on it so that it doesn't reoccur, we have chosen to ignore it and hope that it goes away. The lists I made describing what I owned, my family, my pets, etc. really disturbed me when I thought of having all of them. Mostly the fact that I have a total of four animals: two dogs and two cats. My animals are completely domesticated and rely on me for their survival. How could I knowingly set them free into the woods when they've never learned how to take care of themselves? I also thought of how empty I would feel having to leave everything I owned. I can only begin to imagine what these poor, innocent Aleutians felt having been ripped from their homes and transplanted to such horrible living conditions.