By Chamiya Carnathan

This picture features General Frank D. Merrill with interpreters Herbert Miyasaki and Akiji Yoshimura. The photo represents a fraction of the 14 Japanese American linguists and infantrymen who were part of “Merrill’s Marauders,” which fought in the Asia theater after Pearl Harbor. This picture specifically intrigues me because the men are smiling at something behind the lens. Regardless of the cause of their smile, it’s heartwarming and comforting to me. These men of different ethnicities have worked with each other. They collaborate with a shared objective in mind. They are enjoying each other’s company. In a strange sense, it gives me comfort to know that anyone can enjoy each other’s company if these men, of different ethnic backgrounds, can.