<Begin Segment 24>

BK: You had said that you were a junior at that time. I think you had mentioned this a little earlier, in our previous conversation. Your brothers were all in the service.

MH: Uh-huh.

BK: And there seemed to have been... I was wondering, what kind of value system or cultural kind of thing did your parents instill in you, so that you all had that feeling of service to the country?

MH: Uh-huh. My folks were always that way, maybe because we were growing up in a Caucasian... the ladies in the neighborhood would always -- they didn't come back and forth and visit, but they always talked to Mom when she was out in garden, or us kids would always go off to play, and the kids would come over to our house. Like I always said, my folks, no matter who was around, if they were there at dinner time, they must have dinner with us, or if we had a snack, they always, we always got a snack. In fact, it's something I think my family's always instilled; the coffeepot was always on. And I think that's what my parents instilled in us. Another thing that -- I suppose I don't always tell the truth, but I know my mom would always say we weren't to lie, we weren't to talk back. Talk back was one of the worst. And if we went someplace and made a fuss, she never said anything, she just kinda sidled up to us and did we get the pinch. And boy, you didn't cry either. She reached down and give you one, and boy, you'd straighten up or else. And I think, I don't -- I'm glad that she was like that. She never made any fuss, she'd just walk up to us and that was it, and we behaved.

BK: Right, so you didn't make waves...

MH: Uh-huh, and I think that's how come we all grew up the way we did. You hate to -- another thing is, I'm more so than my brothers, I don't mind getting out and doing things. I'm kind of, I'm more outspoken, more than they are. I think it's because I was the youngest. Like we used to go for rides and we'd tell Dad, we were little kids and we'd say, "Oh Dad, turn here. Turn here, turn there, turn here." And we'd always end up in front of the ice cream store. [Laughs] And he knew it but he went along.

BK: Indeed. [Laughs]

MH: That's the way my folks were.

<End Segment 24> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.