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AI: Now, you had an entry in your diary from early May, and I wanted to ask you to read this one.

TI: Okay, sure. "May 2, 1942. Our family, one of first entering the north Portland WCCA Assembly Center. Sad story for each evacuee. Started work dishwashing. Our picture in the front page of the Oregonian newspaper. The family along with other persons of Japanese ancestry moved into the North Portland War Civilian Control Administration camp. Since I had volunteered to help, the whole family had to be one of the early arrivals. My family arrived with new hopes and thoughts. I started to work as soon as I got there. Mom got a little carsick, but she is feeling better now. The camp seems very big and empty yet. I got to eat about 6 p.m. I was pretty hungry after volunteering throughout the day. We were one of the first families into the camp, and I had a queer feeling, having soldiers guarding us all around the camp."

So, it was very chaotic -- people coming in and trying to find their little cubbyhole, place to stay. But because I was involved in helping, it wasn't as bad. It was exciting, having the responsibility to manage. And, 'cause all the Isseis, they were labeled as enemy aliens, were not given a position of work responsibility. So the younger Niseis took over that kind of role.

AI: So for you and your family, it was you, your two brothers and sister, your mother and father, and were you all kept together in one living space?

TI: Yes. Uh-huh.

AI: What was your living space there like?

TI: Well, with six beds, that was about it. There wasn't that much space other than that. And these were pigpens area prior to us coming in. They boarded up the floor and put up a six foot high plywood barriers, like a room. But it's open, so you can hear people coughing or talking or crying or what-have-you, and as you walked down the hallway toward the latrine, (was) really noisy. But you kind of resigned yourself to what's there. And I don't recall complaining about the hardship, because that's another value our parents taught was to suffer is noble, yeah. And we got to suffer. I had to get up at around six o'clock to set up the milk. So it wasn't long before I knew what I was doing. But at that time, I never knew about bartering, you know, try to get more -- [laughs] -- because I had real nice items to barter, but I was really strict, right by the rules, kept track of things, and I enjoyed that responsibility.

AI: So your responsibility was distributing all these dairy products...

TI: Yeah.

AI: ...for the entire assembly center...

TI: Yes, uh-huh.

AI: ...to make sure that every area got its share of dairy foods.

TI: Yeah. It was a great big dining room area. And there was shifts of people coming in to eat and leaving. So I maintained the management of those dairy products.

<End Segment 10> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.