<Begin Segment 38>

AI: Well, there were so many things going on in Tule Lake, and one of the things that I wanted to ask you about in particular was in 1943, was when the U.S. army then was allowing the Nisei men to join, and started coming for recruiting for the army, and also early in 1943, there was the so-called "loyalty questionnaire" that came out. It was the questionnaire also called "Leave Clearance," so you had mentioned earlier about some people leaving camp, and, of course, you eventually did also. But I was wondering, do you remember much about that time when the questionnaire came out, and the discussion over some of the men joining the army?

PB: I wasn't really deep into that, because my brothers, if they were at an age where they would be taken into the army or some service, and the questionnaire came up, and the parents would be so concerned and everything, I never gave it that much thought because I was just away from that.

AI: And Jim was still young then.

PB: Jim was too young, and I knew that he wouldn't have to go in. But after we got to Idaho, and so many people from Idaho, they were volunteering, lot of 'em. And, of course, there were, those that didn't want to go in, they remained in Tule. They, there was this, two factions there, but when I left Tule Lake, it wasn't that obvious. But I, my sister told me that, she remained, my two sisters stayed behind because my sister was expecting her second child. And my youngest sister stayed to help my other sister. So they were more aware of the clash between the pros and cons in Tule Lake, but I had left there, and I didn't feel it that much. But there were clashes, and my cousins were planning to go back to Japan, and I remember saying goodbye to them.

AI: Well, did your own parents say anything about, any thinking about leaving the United States? You mentioned earlier how some of the Isseis had said, "Well, your U.S. citizenship is worthless now," and that some of the Issei did have some thoughts about, that life in the United States would be quite difficult for, for Japanese Americans even with citizenship. So what, what was your parents' thinking about that?

PB: My parents didn't say very much, except that they said, "What good is your citizenship? You claim that you're Americans, and you were so proud of your citizenship," but here it didn't mean anything. We were in camp just like the Isseis, and we didn't have no say-so or anything. So they didn't, they, of course, thought, "Why in the world would anyone want to volunteer, go into the army and fight for the United States, to give up their life for a country that had them imprisoned?" So I think that it was a logical thought for Isseis to think that way, because here we were, we were all in the same boat.

But anyhow, my youngest brother Tom was of army age, so he did volunteer in Idaho. But he always used to have very bad nosebleeds, and at one time when we were home, he got such a bad nosebleed that couldn't stop it, and I know my sister drove him to Kent, which was the closest, where we had a family doctor. And he couldn't stop the bleeding. So then she drove him to Harborview hospital, emergency. Well, he got so bad, by that time, he passed out and Mr. Kubota lived right across from Harborview, and they said that they wouldn't take a patient unless some parent would sign in for him. So Mr. Kubota said, well, "He's passed out and we can't wait, he'll die. So I'll sign in place of the parent." So Mr. Kubota signed for my brother, and they had to give him a transfusion right away. So he had a number of transfusions at Harborview, and he stayed in the hospital. And even when he came home, he was very, very pale for a long time. But that probably saved his life, the transfusions and Mr. Kubota taking over.

AI: But he still had this problem, even when he joined the army then, later?

PB: Yes. When he went into, he volunteered, just on the day of, when they have the examination, he got a nosebleed. And they couldn't stop it, and they knew that he was a bleeder, so he was turned down. That's why he didn't get in the army, but my other brother, the older brother, he had already been in the army and he'd gotten an honorary discharge. But I was glad my son wasn't old enough to go in. [Laughs]

AI: I'm sure that, that would have been a terrible situation if he had been.

PB: Oh, yes. I think it would have just done me in if he had to go in.

<End Segment 38> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.