When Carmen was 11, she and her family were forced to leave Peru for an unknown destination on March 1, 1944. After three weeks, the family arrived at Crystal City, Texas, where they were kept until December 1, 1945. Upon release from camp, they were forced to go to Japan and eventually to Okinawa. Now living in Montebello with her husband Mike, Carmen took a big step toward JLA redress by becoming one of the named plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit Mochizuki v. U.S.