<Begin Segment 17>

[Ed. note: This transcript has been edited by the narrator]

TI: And so when the orders came to be removed to Puyallup, so your family was caught up in that, too, so they had to go.

FT: They went (to the assembly center) earlier than we did. Well, see, they started the evacuation by streets or avenue, (and those) closest to the waterfront went first (...). And we were the last ones (to leave in the) university area. So we were the last ones. And there was five of us (...).

TI: Before you go to your removal, I'm curious, during this time, were you aware of what Gordon Hirabayashi was doing? He was another UW student.

FT: No, I don't think so.

TI: 'Cause I think he was staying at the Y. And so he wasn't staying with the Japanese students.

FT: He wasn't with us.

TI: Okay, I was just curious.

FT: No, we didn't know him. Anyway, so we were the last ones (to enter the assembly center). I don't know how we got down to the bus station, but anyway we got (to) "Camp Harmony" (...). And when we reported into register, the authorities, I don't know if it was Caucasian or Japanese Americans, but anyway they (pointed out we were just five) bachelors (and asked if we would like to) go down to Tule (Lake) and open (...) the camp. The rest of (the people) will (follow) when it's completed. So the five of us (went). I think we were in "Camp Harmony' maybe overnight. (We joined a group of about twenty others). I think Tom Ueno was the group leader, (I was assigned) the liaison between (...) the group in Tule and (those) in "Camp Harmony." So we went (...) and we lived in Block 4 (...) and Block 5, right next to the admin building.

TI: So let me make sure, so you went down to Tule Lake, this was before anyone else went there, because people, a lot of people went to Pinedale Assembly.

FT: We didn't know anything about that.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.