National Education Center
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| AJA | Americans of Japanese Ancestry. This term is primarily used in Hawaii. |
| Alien | An individual who is neither a US citizen nor US national. |
| Alien Land Laws | Laws enacted by various states that prohibited “aliens ineligible for citizenship” from owning or acquiring, and eventually leasing, land. In Japanese American history, these laws refer particularly to the alien land laws passed in western states including Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington, where they implicitly targeted the Japanese immigrant community, many of whom were farmers. |
| Allies | During World War II, an international military and political alliance whose chief forces included the United States, Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, China and other members of the United Nations. Also known as the Allied Powers, the alliance fought against the Axis. More generally, refers to an association with one or more other states, organizations, or individuals for mutual help and support or the achievement of a common purpose. |
| Anti-Tank Company | Unit whose primary responsibility is to destroy enemy armored vehicles. The Anti-Tank Company of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team provided artillery support using 57 mm AT guns. The unit consisted of three gun platoons, one each assigned to the three infantry battalions. Its most noted accomplishments include its participation as glider infantry in the invasion of Southern France in August 1944, and the capture of a one-man German submarine off the coast of Menton, France. |
| API | Asian Pacific Islanders. Also called APA or Asian Pacific Americans. |
| Artillery | Weapons for discharging missiles. |
| Assembly Centers | Temporary detention centers that housed Americans of Japanese Ancestry who had been forcibly removed from their homes along the West Coast in the early months of World War II. These centers served as temporary quarters before they were sent to more permanent quarters in incarceration centers. In most cases, these assembly centers were primarily fairgrounds or racetracks with crude barracks and mess hall facilities later added. Primarily scattered around California, but also in Arizona, Oregon and Washington. |
| ATIS | Allied Translator and Interpreter Section. Located in Indooroopilly, Australia, outside of Brisbane, ATIS was established by Brigadier General Charles A. Willoughby, chief intelligence officer for General Douglas MacArthur, in September 1944. ATIS acted as one of the intelligence centers where military intelligence officers worked to assist the operations in the Pacific. |
| Axis | The military and political alliance of Germany, Italy, and later Japan that fought the Allies in World War II. Also referred to as the Axis Powers. |