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AI: Well, now your father being associated with the, in charge of the garden project, associated with the hospital, and then your mother working in the hospital kitchen also, I was wondering, did they hear information at all that you heard from them about goings-on at the hospital or the aftermath of the riot, anything that...

AO: They never talked about the riot. All they did say that the riot did occur, more so about the inus was after we were transferred to Tule Lake.

AI: So what did they say about the inu, the informer or suspected informer people?

AO: Well, about the inu, the, see, inu were the pro-Japanese. So what it is that they were against any action of the government to us and this is what they're trying to resist. And, but I didn't, I wasn't too concerned about what the action of the inu and most of the, most of the inus, so-called inus were violent. And they would say that they were... well, inus, the ones that were against the inus, the inus had to be protected so they would mention names. And I didn't know any of them.

AI: Did you get the sense that your parents were afraid or worried that they or other, you or your family members might be the targets of violence or that you might get... innocent people could be hurt. Did you ever get that sense --

AO: Yes.

AI: -- that they were worried?

AO: I really don't know, actually. So they were interested only in the opportunity to be included, to be transferred to Japan. That's the only interest.

AI: So tell me what they said about that.

AO: Well, as long as there was information about going to Japan, they were satisfied.

AI: So, at some point, during Manzanar, they were definitely interested in returning to Japan?

AO: Yes.

AI: And what was happening with your sisters and your younger brother at this time? They also were in Manzanar, and were they also working? Or your brother was younger, so was he still in high school in Manzanar?

AO: Yes, he went to Manzanar High School. My sister worked in the hospital also as a lab technician and she became quite experienced in lab work, so she continued lab work in Tule Lake. And after we were, went to Japan, she worked as a lab tech in the military hospital in Fukuoka.

AI: And this was your younger sister?

AO: My younger sister. And she liked it. And even to this day, she worked at Kaiser Hospital in Panaroma City and retired as a lab technician.

AI: Now, what about your older sister?

AO: My older sister married a boy from the, in the camp. And he was born in Hawaii and he was also educated in Japan and also educated at the University of Hawaii. And before the war he was stationed in New Orleans, Louisiana, and he worked at the Japanese consulate office in New Orleans.

AI: So he was a U.S. citizen --

AO: Yes.

AI: -- working as a civilian in the consulate office.

AO: Actually, probably he was a dual citizen. So he was, his term was Kibei/Nisei. That's what we used to call the born in the United States but educated in Japan.

AI: So they were married in Manzanar?

AO: In Manzanar, yes.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.