<Begin Segment 41>

AI: Well, so, as time has passed on I was wondering, did your kids ever ask you about World War II and your experiences, or did you ever talk to them about anything that happened during those years?

AO: Our grandchildren in Ohio, they were studying about the evacuation and internment so they asked me to give them information about the, my experience in the internment. And so they used the information I gave them. And they had sort of like a panel discussion and they got good grades towards that. And they were happy about it.

AI: Well, was that the first time you had talked about your World War II experiences?

AO: No, one time in Walnut in elementary school, our daughter Patty mentioned that her father was interned and had the World War II evacuation experience. And so her teacher asked me to appear in the classroom so the, I could tell my experience to the students. And then they would ask me questions. So I'd answer them and tell them my experience as I answered the questions.

AI: What was that like for you, going into a classroom like that and having kids ask you questions?

AO: I think that was good. They were interested in knowing the condition, the treatment. And so what availability I had in information I was glad to talk about it. And then another time there was a teacher. We were living in West Covina at the time. And she was telling me that one of her student's parents were interned but they wouldn't talk about it to the boy. And so she was asking me if I wouldn't mind talking about my experience to the boy so that he would understand. And I said that I'll be willing to.

AI: Well, during these times when you talked to students and younger people, and even your own grandchildren, I'm wondering how they reacted when you told them the part about renouncing your citizenship?

AO: I don't know what their reaction was, but I just explained to them why I renounced my citizenship and that my parents were the ones that requested me to. My mother eventually came back to the United States. My father could have, but he had property so he didn't want to lose his property. See, the laws of owning property changed after the war and if you could not manage to grow rice on your property, then you would have to give it up. And that's probably one reason why he stayed, to keep his property.

AI: Do you have any idea why your mother decided to come back to the United States?

AO: Well, actually, she didn't realize the future in Japan and so there was practically no future for her even though my father had the property, and so she wanted to come back. And one thing, she did have a baby that's buried in the Anaheim cemetery and so that was one good reason why she wanted to come back. But she wanted to come back and be with her first baby. Why did she want to leave the baby in the first place? She wasn't thinking about that. But as years goes on it changes. But she's now deceased now and she's as close to her first baby as possible.

<End Segment 41> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.