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AI: Let me ask you; as that month went on, the month of February, you also were thinking about this further, about volunteering in service, and ask you to read from your diary again.

TI: Yes. "February 26, 1943. I went to the meeting at Mess 28 to hear Mr. Stafford and Mr. Shaffer give their last plea for volunteer enlistment. Drum and bugle corps played for the occasion. That night I had a talk with Pop on this subject matter. I hope I've changed it a bit. 'Bout -- today about 6:30, the Bainbridge people came in from Tule Lake camp." So they had those Bainbridge people who had about a week notice to, to pack their belongings, Bainbridge, Washington, and were shipped on to Tule Lake. Because Tule Lake became the segregated camp for the most "disloyal," supposedly, internees, they were shipped to Seattle -- to the Minidoka camp.

I was surprised, in reflection, that those who were in the drum and bugle corps brought their instrument to camp. That was quite interesting. And they had their own uniforms they brought, they felt it important. And it's unusual that I had to talk to my dad about volunteering or not volunteering. But I ended up, thinking, "Well, I won't volunteer, and try to get out of the camp." And that's when I was able to get a special permit to go to Salt Lake City. And after a year's work there, got opportunity to a scholarship to go to Ottawa University in Kansas, where a couple of my friends were there, JoJo and Mas. [Laughs]

AI: Well, you've kind of skipped ahead over a lot of period of time here, and I did want to at least mention that you did eventually graduate from high school...

TI: Yes.

AI: ...in camp.

TI: I, I did. [Laughs]

AI: And that was in Minidoka camp?

TI: Yes, uh-huh, on high school. We were able to get caps and gowns. (We) still had some semblance of civility. And, but I really don't know how much we really learned in camp other than learning how to handle difficulties, because there were very few books that could be used for training. But it was enough to go on to college with, so I'm grateful for that.

AI: Well, and now you had mentioned just earlier about your conversation with your father...

TI: Yeah.

AI: ...about volunteering for service or not. And I'm wondering, what, did your father or your mother express much opinion about that?

TI: Well, he, he wasn't encouraging me to volunteer. Let it happen (when you are drafted). So, 'cause he wasn't really strongly suggesting I volunteer. If he had said that, then I most likely would have volunteered because I wouldn't have disobeyed his wish. Going to Salt Lake, we had to change our address, notify the draft board. But more so when I went to Kansas, that draft board got a hold of me and sent me an invitation to join the army. So I had no choice but to go.

AI: Later on. Yes, later on.

TI: But I was, I got a notice from the navy, officer's training (in) Kansas City to invite me to attend. So my one misgiving was I didn't know how to swim. I thought being in the navy, it would be rough. [Laughs] When I reported to the officer, and he looked at me, he says, "Sorry, we don't take Japanese in our navy." So that ended that. Then I went on to Camp Fanin in Texas for basic (training).

AI: I'm going to ask you more about that in a little while.

TI: Okay.

AI: But before I do, can I take you back actually shortly before, just before you go to Salt Lake City. You went out to do farm labor one more time?

TI: Yeah.

AI: And it seems like there was an incident at that time. You didn't say too much about it in your diary, but you did write a little bit.

TI: Yeah. I'll try to. "August 5, 1943. Two days with weeding beans for this farmer, and we were fired. He paid the whites. We didn't get a lot more work." It was weeding beans, also weeding carrots. And it was awful work, back breaking work. And somehow the farmer didn't like what we were doing, but I feel we were doing a really responsible job. So he just used that excuse to terminate us, fire us. And then, and we knew the Caucasian workers were being paid, but again, we had no power. We didn't feel we had power, so we just accepted that.

AI: So that was a very direct experience of being treated completely differently from the --

TI: Yes. Well, others -- when I went to Ottawa... but is there another point you want to discuss?

AI: Right.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.