<Begin Segment 17>

JS: So after being inducted at Fort Douglas, then what happened?

TI: Well, before we were assigned to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, we had an opportunity to come back to Seattle. And there was a group of us, I think about sixteen of us, and I don't know if you, you're familiar with Haribo Yanagimachi?

TI: No.

JS: Oh, yeah. Of course, he's older than your dad. But Haribo was a football player and an outstanding lineman for Garfield. And Royal Brougham, who was a writer for the, I think it was the P-I, Seattle P-I, expounded the ability of this Haribo Yanagimachi as a football player, and he did become all-city football, earned all-city honors. And he did attend the UW and turned out there, but I think he made the freshman squad, but I don't think he went beyond that. But this Hari was inducted at the same time I was, and although I knew of him, I didn't, we weren't friendly. But he was then assigned to be the leader of this group of fourteen or sixteen that wanted to come back to Seattle to, to visit some old friends.

TI: So that's unusual because Seattle was still in that --

JS: Still out of bounds, yeah.

TI: -- exclusion zone.

JS: Yeah, that's right.

TI: And so I've never heard this. So they let a group of you go back to Seattle?

JS: Yes, that's right, but we were in uniform. And we did, we came back to see some friends and teachers and so forth.

TI: Did you guys ever experience any difficulties?

JS: No, we didn't, we didn't. It was a very short stay, maybe like two days, I think, two or three days at the most. Three days -- I think, my recollection, it was two days. So all we had a chance to do was see some friends and some teachers that... and then we rendezvoused and took a took a train to Mississippi.

TI: And so did you guys, any of them stop by Minidoka before going to Mississippi?

JS: No, we didn't. I didn't go back to Minidoka until I was, had finished basic training, then we were on furlough and we were able to go back.

TI: So let's go back to that Seattle trip.

JS: Yes.

TI: And I'm curious, when you visited teachers or friends, and here you're coming in your army uniform, what kind of reaction did you get?

JS: Well, I don't remember exactly. There's nothing that is so memorable that it stands out. But the reception generally was good; the teachers were happy to see us and wished us well.

TI: Do you ever recall any, like, surprise, seeing you there?

JS: Well, I suppose there was some surprise on their part, yeah. But I don't recall an incident that would say, "Yeah, I recall that specifically."

TI: Did you guys have the opportunity to walk through, like, Nihonmachi and see how that looked?

JS: We did.

TI: And what was that like?

JS: Well, you know, the, things strike different people different ways. But when we got to Seattle, I was amazed at this, the incline of Jackson Street. I had not recalled that it was as steep as it was -- it's really not steep, but it seemed to be a lot steeper than I had recalled as a child.

TI: Because you just walked up the...

JS: Yeah, we just walked up, yeah.

TI: And were, like, were there a lot of shops boarded up or things like that?

JS: I don't recall.

TI: Or did it seem strange just walking through Nihonmachi and not seeing any Japanese there?

JS: Yes, it was. And I'm sure that we were, we never traveled alone, we were with a group of guys, and I'm sure that there were comments like, "This was the old Sagamiya," or whatever it was. But it was a short stay and a pleasant one, but we were on a mission, of course, to just say goodbye to some old friends and teachers, and then off we went.

TI: Do you recall any of the guys having an interesting story?

JS: Not specifically, no. Everybody had, seemingly had an enjoyable time, though, in Seattle.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2007 Densho. All Rights Reserved.