2 - The Family Farm

When World War I started in Europe, Germany put a call in for all loyal Germans to come home and fight for the Fatherland. Some did. Bill Koen did for one and he was killed in action on the Western front. He left children home in Wenatchee and a wife. The children’s names were Sara and William Koen. Now there were a lot of English people here and when the USA got in the fight feelings ran high against all Germans like it did against the Japs in World War II. Dad and his brother never were drafted but they were from Germany so got a lot of flack. Bill, Carl and Albert were just too young so missed it the draft but people didn’t take too kindly to anyone who wasn’t British. If they hadn’t lived so far out of town they probably would have had a lot of people giving them a hard time. In World War II they put all the Japs on the west coast in relocation camps at least 800 miles from the coast so they couldn’t do any damage. There never was any sabotage by any Japs in Hawaii or the west coast. They took them inland, took their property and resold it as they were unable to make payments. They lost everything, homes, businesses all because the Japs bombed Pearl Harbor. The Nissi (Japanese Americans) were put in a special force and fought in Italy. When the Germans were captured and ran across the 442^nd they couldn’t believe that they were fighting on our side.

The Wenatchee Valley 1-Family Matters <Previous 2-The Family Farm Next> 3-When I Was A Boy 4-Olden Days Travel 5-Growing Up and Winter Sports 6-Events