<Begin Segment 27>

AI: That December, 1942, as I understand, there was some Christmas celebration. Do you remember anything about that?

MK: I don't remember. It was sparse, and it's not the kind of Christmas that we used to have in Seattle. [Laughs]

AI: Well, and --

MK: That I knew.

AI: And the same way with New Year's, that New Year's, January 1943. And then, of course, your birthday was officially celebrated January 3rd. And you would have been turning, let's see, fifteen?

MK: Fifteen.

AI: Do you have any memories of that New Year's --

MK: No.

AI: -- or your birthday or anything?

MK: No, really nothing. New Year's was a big thing in our family in Seattle, but I don't remember anything. Christmas, I remember, yeah, people tried to make decorations, but, you know, when you improvise too much, it, you kinda lose it. [Laughs]

AI: It's just not the same.

MK: It's not the same, right.

AI: Well, shortly after the New Year's, I think it was that January 1943 that the so-called "loyalty questionnaire" came out?

MK: Uh-huh, uh-huh.

AI: And do you recall any talk about that or hearing -- of course, you were young --

MK: Young.

AI: So you were not, you didn't sign it yourself.

MK: Right.

AI: Did you hear any discussion?

MK: There was a lot of talk, but right, it didn't concern me, so I really wasn't into it. But I did hear lot of the older people, I mean, young, youth people talking about it. Uh-huh.

AI: And about the same time, I think, the army started recruiting for volunteers from Minidoka.

MK: Right. I think that really began just as I was, we were going to, getting ready, or toward that time period. So it was... we had some major problems ourselves so it wasn't our concern.

AI: Right.

<End Segment 27> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.