<Begin Segment 16>

LH: So your family was in Area A.

FY: Yes.

LH: And you mentioned prior to this interview that your brother had measles.

FY: Oh, yes, yes. Prior, just prior to being transferred to Minidoka, my brother became ill and they found that it was measles, so my mother and my youngest brother had to be quarantined. Since my mother cannot speak English, so I stayed with her. So the three of us were taken to Area D, which was already evacuated. And we were put into this huge compound, these huge structure that housed the evacuees before, with these smaller barracks that were built inside, within, a partition. And it was a frightening experience because it was huge, no lights. The only illumination was from the both end of the structure that was open like a large barn.

LH: Now why weren't there any lights?

FY: The power had apparently been taken off because the people were all evacuated. And possibly the hospital itself had, did not have any accommodation. So here we were. And the next day, one of the nurse brought a candle, but I'm not certain what an impact it must have had on my younger brother.

LH: How old was he at the time?

FY: I think at that time he must have been three or four, maybe in that area. In writing my personal biography, consistently I get to that period and I can't remember. There is kind of a black-out. So, I often wondered if there was something that could have happened that was very unpleasant.

LH: And where was the rest of your family at this point?

FY: They were, they went ahead. They were evacuated to Minidoka and from, I can't remember whether it was a week gone by and then we were also evacuated to Minidoka. But there is a whole period of total blank out, black-out there. I don't, I can't recall what happened. How we got to Minidoka, I would assume that we rode a train and all that, there is a lot of assumption, but I don't recall. Not one little experience there.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.