<Begin Segment 38>

AI: Well, also, during this time, you had, before Pearl Harbor was bombed, you had some letters from your family in Japan.

RM: Uh-huh.

AI: And you had heard from them. But did you know that your brothers there had been drafted into the Japanese military? Had you, did you know that?

RM: No, no. I didn't hear about that, no.

AI: No, so you didn't know that at that time.

RM: No, I didn't pay much attention, see, the things a young man and too busy with other things, I think, so... but I know they're doing okay and one of my brothers here and I understand the other brother wanna come back, too. But didn't then, now war started, then couldn't go anywhere. But one of my brothers went to industrial school and so, mechanical department so he end up in making the torpedo model at the Kure, you know, naval shipyard. So he wasn't drafted, but he was on the civilian, working the technician, so same as the Japanese government, same as drafted. So he stayed there until war ended, then, so, three... well, matter of fact, all of Japanese, my sister and brother the one was hired at the clothing department, Ujina place in Hiroshima, like in the uniform and things like that for the army. They called Hifukusho, taking care of the clothing, depot. But one, one was working for a railroad -- at the time they call National Railroad, now is the private corporation, but, railroad, Japan.

AI: So many of... you found out later that your brothers and sisters were either working for the military or some kind of defense industry in Japan.

RM: Yeah defense industry, all of 'em except, well, railroad, well, the war or not, but he's... everybody have to do something so they're drafted. And what happened was my father was a photographer but couldn't get the film or the enlarging paper, printing paper because the navy and army had the priority on that. So very little ration and couldn't make, even make money on portrait pictures, see, just the developing and printing, you don't make money on that, but it's the service, you know, but the portrait and things like that. And so he quit that, then went back to my grandfather's place and they were old, so taking care of them for year or so, not a year, but then they passed away and the war ended.

AI: Oh, but you didn't know that at the time.

RM: No, I didn't know it, after heard.

<End Segment 38> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.