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Joe DiMaggio's Parents
Branded As World War II
"Enemy Aliens"
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Joe DiMaggio, whose Hall of Fame career spanned 1939-1951, missed three full seasons due to World War II military service.
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His soldier’s life was comfortable, spending most of his time playing ball for base teams. While stationed in Hawaii, he and other players mostly tanned on the beach. Embarrassed by his military lifestyle, DiMaggio demanded combat duty, but was denied.
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With all this 'red carpet' treatment, it was difficult for DiMaggio to comprehend why his parents could not escape the presidential proclamation that branded them as “enemy aliens”. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, 31,000 suspected enemy aliens and their families had been interned in camps and military bases throughout the U.S. The DiMaggio's were allowed to remain at home.
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Residents of California, both had to carry photo ID’s at all times and were not allowed to travel outside a 5-mile radius of their home without a permit. His dad was barred from San Francisco Bay where he had fished for a living and, his fishing boat was seized.
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Joe’s mom became a citizen in 1944 and his father, a year later. But both had endured two years of government scrutiny as “enemy aliens” of a major league baseball star.
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