Roy and Okey

As a child growing up in California E.H. Williams wondered why Uncle Roy became a kinder person around Okey. Later she learned their touching history and felt compelled to share their true story about friendship.

During World War II when much of the world was falling apart, Okey and Roy showed that kindness and decency still existed. Their real-life story will inspire you!

After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, a shocking order by the U.S. government forced all people of Japanese origin from the West Coast to Relocation Camps.

Everything they owned was sold at a fraction of its value or put in the care of others. Over 120,000 people spent the war in tar-papered army-style barracks even though they were American citizens.

When the war was over, many of the Japanese Americans found that they had lost their homes and businesses because deceitful people stole their property. Many had to start again with nothing.

Roy and Okey’s story shows personal integrity, and what it means to be a real American through hard times!

E.H. Williams is a professor and author. Born in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, she is a sansei on her father’s side and a nisei through her mother. She earned degrees from Arizona State University, the University of Oklahoma, and Brigham Young University. She has traveled to over 100 countries and has written four books about her adventures. She lives in Blanding, Utah, with her husband, Steph.