Masao Watanabe grew up in Seattle, Washington. When the war started, he was forced into an internment camp in Minidoka, Idaho. He joined the US Army and served with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. In this interview, he discusses his reasons for volunteering.

You grow up thinking you’re a citizen, you grow up thinking you’re a part of this society you’re in. And then the weight of the rejection was something that was pretty unexpected. But when reality sets in [about what it means to live in an internment camp] then the real negative things start to come into your head. . . it bothered a lot of us tremendously. You try to be a good citizen, you try to do what you’re supposed to be doing, and the rejection is very hard, difficult.

I think those of us who [volunteered to serve in the military] did the right thing. And to this day—well, regardless of what people think—I think we did the right thing in volunteering after being kicked in the butt.

If you’re going to live here [in the US] you’ve got to be a part of society, you’ve got to do what is expected of you. And I had no problem volunteering. I don’t know which was worse, being locked up in camp or going off to war. In my mind, barbed wires aren’t very inviting . . . I didn’t like being cooped up, looking at barbed wires and guard towers.

—Masao Watanabe,
1998

Which statement summarizes Watanabe’s point of view in this excerpt?

Watanabe felt it was his duty to join the military despite his resentment of internment.

Watanabe was excited to join the military to prove his loyalty to the US.

Watanabe was so angry at the rejection he felt that he only reluctantly joined the military.

Watanabe regretted his decision to join the military because it was worse than being in the camp.