<Begin Segment 45>

AI: Well, so then from Santa Anita, then you were there in the spring of 1942 and then after that, you went to Jerome, which is in Arkansas. So tell me about, do you recall anything about the trip from Santa Anita to Jerome? You went by train?

RM: By train, yeah. But the thing is, I don't see the scenery because the blinds is down and I don't know whether other people wanna see us or we don't want us to... well, no harm in just looking at, ride the train, but, so, but anyway...

AI: Did you have any problems on the train?

RM: Well, not among self, but I just doesn't recall how long it take, but anyway, thinking about other things and so mad. Now concentration -- they didn't say "relocation," they said "concentration camp," you know, everybody. And other people, see, I understand Japanese so the Issei talkin' about, very sad and loss of things and what it is that they didn't able to harvest some things, and some owner or the neighbor or the worker that took over and they sold the things but didn't send the money and things like -- all kinda sad stories. And I didn't complain, and I don't talk to them, I just listen. I understand, sad, and I don't want to, them to feel more bad or sad, so I just kept quiet. And the few things doesn't do harm and talk to some Issei and Nisei and some people at the time are all, we are all internees, but some went to different field then they were successful businessmen or something like that, and some were higher up in the JACL and things like that and I see the article there. And those are the people probably remember me because I was in the mess hall and...

AI: Well, so let me ask you then, when you rode the train into Arkansas, and you got off at the railroad station right near the camp, what did you see? What, Arkansas is so different --

RM: Nothing, just, just a swamp area, and some scrub trees, things like that and just being built or building instead. And first thing I understand they gonna put you... well, some people don't do anything, just play chess or shogi or just talk about it. But I want to keep myself busy so forget, the best thing is the easiest things I know, storekeeper because nothing deal with any, you only deal with the chef, the cook and also people deliver milk. I just had this wire cage and then had a lock and so I just open up and let 'em stack sacks full of sugar, and everybody had a eye on that but I don't wanna be partial, they give me this and that. So if they want to steal it let 'em steal from the table, see, and the dish there, sugar, and if you dump it, I didn't see it. That's the way, see, because my duty is to control that, but if they use up, so that's why they don't fill the thing, just fill a little bit so that more they use the coffee. But what they do is they get coffee somehow, maybe some cook or somebody smuggle out the thing. Then they built in the barracks and making the coffee and things like that, so they need the sugar, so they have a eye on it. But I don't want to violate because people watching me, whether take it out or not. Of course, I could put 'em in a pocket and walk out. But one thing I did was, there's a coffee can, five gallon, the can there. So I got, made a midnight requisition and put 'em in the attic. Then these cans, number ten size can fruit juice, the apricot, the peaches, or pears and the juice left over, put 'em in there and they grab sugar and... see, my, my grand-uncle was in the same camp, too. And he liked to drink, so even though poor drink, make fermented alcohol, I wouldn't drink it, taste bad, but they want it, so... [laughs]

AI: So this was one of the things that you did with leftover juices.

RM: Leftover juice they gonna throw in that -- [laughs] -- no, I mean, they gonna dump in the drain.

AI: So instead --

RM: So I make, recycled it. [Laughs] No, I mean, that's a poor excuse, but I don't know whether they gonna punish me for doin' that but, I just make use of that waste. Potato peel, yeah.

AI: Right, instead of letting it go to waste. Well, so your job, when say storekeeper, what you were doing was you were in charge of all the supplies, the food supplies for that mess hall?

RM: Yeah, that's right. Each block has a mess, own mess hall. And so give 'em a job for chef, cook, and kitchen helper and waitress, set up the table, then put the utensil there, and then put the ketchup or whatever you need for the, the pepper or sugar or salt. But those things don't disappear, only thing disappear is sugar.

AI: Well, I was wondering, did anyone try to bribe you to get a little extra here or there?

RM: More or less, but that's maybe trick, then I don't go for that, strict because like me, my... later on in the army, same thing. They come and tell me something but just test me, I think, figure that way, so I don't fall for it. Lot of things come out. Then I was told certain things not to do, then somebody else come and try to coax me, they either try to test me, so I'm aware of that. So maybe just asking because I'm available, I could just, I didn't see it disappear but I don't want to do that. But, I mean, see, they gonna put 'em in the drain anyway, so I put 'em in the can. I just borrow the can there.

AI: Yeah, well that's something, that would have been garbage.

RM: Yeah, it would be garbage, yeah.

AI: If you didn't use it.

RM: No, that was my excuse, but no, I don't think the people appreciate that. People appreciate the one who, got, make, took advantage of that.

AI: Well, I wanted to ask you about, in Jerome, there were, I read that there were maybe seven or eight hundred people from Hawaii in Jerome. And I wondered, did you come in contact with any of these --

RM: No, I think they came after I left, 'cause I left in November, so I only stayed there about six months over there, so...

AI: Right.

RM: So, but that's a short while but I enjoyed because, now, we're settled, that, not gonna move anyway. Of course, lotta people after this "no-no" and things like that came out. After us, now, whether gonna go to Europe and things like that, but my card is for MIS purpose. They looking for Japanese-speaking.

AI: Right.

RM: Or trained.

<End Segment 45> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.