<Begin Segment 8>

TI: And so as the weeks unfolded after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, what did happen at Japanese Baptist Church? What kinds of things were going on?

EBA: Well, shortly after that, the army trucks came and Executive Order 9066 was issued. Army trucks came and took the people from Bainbridge and Kent and all those other places and herded them down to "Camp Harmony," which is the Western Washington State Fairgrounds. It was --

TI: But I'm thinking in terms of like the congregation. So even before they went to Puyallup or "Camp Harmony," how did the church either support or prepare them for the trip in terms of... you know, people were only allowed to bring limited belongings.

EBA: Right, exactly.

TI: And so, were there things the church did to --

EBA: Well, it was, it was a time of rush, rush, scurrying around to... because they couldn't take much with them, except what they could carry, my dad -- there's a gymnasium in the basement of Japanese Baptist Church and Dad took some tape or paint and marked off ten foot square plots in the basement, or in the gymnasium there. And it was just scurry, scurry, everybody as much as you can store your goods here in the basement of the church. And I remember walking down the aisles of these, between these stacks. I mean, it seemed like the stacks went all the way up to the ceiling, and it's a high ceiling there. But from my little boy eyes it seemed like they just stretched up forever. So it was a time of scurry, scurry and try to save what, what we could in the basement there and...

TI: Do you ever recall any of the items that... can you recall any of the items that you saw in the gym?

EBA: I remember seeing furniture, lots of furniture. And I think steamer trunks full of who knows what, but just all kinds of things that you have in, as an everyday item in your home, couldn't take it with you so we stored it.

TI: Now, you mentioned your dad was the one sort of taping the gym, the floor of the gym for this.

EBA: Right.

TI: I was thinking, earlier you mentioned how there was an Issei pastor. I'm curious, was he still around during this time period? And the reason I ask is many, many of the Issei, sort of leaders, or the pastors were picked up by the FBI.

EBA: Right.

TI: And I was curious if you knew if this happened?

EBA: You know, to be honest, I don't know, Tom. I don't have any recollection of that.

TI: Okay. 'Cause I was wondering, in some ways, here your dad was young but he probably had to take a much stronger leadership role when this was all happening so I was just --

EBA: Yes, right.

TI: -- wondering if that was thrust upon him because the senior pastor had left, but that...

EBA: Yeah. To be honest, I don't know. Okay.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.