During the Second World War, fear of a Japanese invasion and suspicion of the loyalty of Japanese Canadians fueled a racist policy of forced relocation. In 1942, Tetsuo “Ted” Itani and his family were among the 22,000 people affected. Despite this injustice, later in life Itani chose to serve his country as a member of the armed forces. He served with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Europe, and participated in missions in the former Yugoslavia and Iraq. Following his retirement in the early 1990s, Major Itani became an advisor and educator on peacekeeping. He received the Order in Canada in 2015.
Samantha and Russell Itani wrote these letters to their father in 1979 and 1980, when Major Itani was attending NATO Defense College in Rome, Italy. At the time, Itani was about halfway through his 37-year military career. These letters show the challenges of separation faced by service personnel and their families during training and deployment.
Supporting image: Major Ted Itani
George Metcalf Archival Collection, Canadian War Museum 20030023-256
