<Begin Segment 25>

BK: You had mentioned, though, that one day coming home from school you passed by the WAC office? Or the...

MH: It was just an office that was in the basement of -- I don't know if it was a library or the courthouse, and it's... what do you call it...

[Interruption]

BK: If you could go ahead and describe a little bit about...

MH: I walked by this building every day going home from school and, of course, my brothers were all in the service. I wonder what it means, I was a senior at that time, I thought, "I wonder what I'm going to do when I get out of school?" And so, I just kind of walked in and I said, oh, I'll... I was looking at this and it was already, the war was over. I had looked at it all through the war and then when I became a senior I thought, "Oh I should go look." So, I just went in, and I said, "Oh, I was just wondering about the sign you had out there." "I kind of think you're kind of short..."

BK: So this was the WAC, the Women's Army Corps office? And when you had inquired...

MH: Uh-huh.

BK: Their answer was...

MH: "What kind things do you..." you know, and that was all. I never thought of it, in fact, I don't think I even told my brothers I went in there to talk to them. I was kind of embarrassed when they said I was too short, you know, when you're short -- in fact one boy, man I should say, at work at Ben Bridge used to sing me this song about a short person, I can't remember; I used to get so mad at him, I wanted to kick him in the shins. [Laughs] I can't help it. [Laughs]

BK: Yes, that's so true. You had talked about being a senior at that point, and I was just wondering, in what ways did your experiences in camp and Pocatello change your educational plans?

MH: I always -- when I was going to school -- I always wanted to be a beautician, I always thought. When I got to Pocatello -- and I wasn't ever very good at school, I passed and got through alright, but I'm not motivated to do all that extra work that they... and then it, when it, when we were in Pocatello I didn't have time to really do my studies. I'd get what done, had to be done, and had it, and so I could get out of school. And that was my only purpose. When I came back to Seattle, I wanted, even though I wanted to go to school, my brothers were supporting the whole family. So they really -- my brother Ken was married already so he was off, but Sho and Ak had to support the rest of us, Teddy, Teddy got a job, of course. But me and my Mom and so we all kinda had to work. My sister came and lived with us also, for a while. So we kinda had a house full.

BK: So the war was over in 1945, but you stayed in Pocatello to graduate...

MH: Yes, so that was '45 and then in '46 I graduated in June. So I worked at Merrill's until then, after school for one month I went and worked in a laundry to make enough money to come home, because I couldn't ask my folks to send me the money. So it was just like being a house girl, I went to work at the laundry and went home at night. So I did that for one month to get enough money to back to Seattle.

BK: So you knew at that time that once you graduated from high school that you would like to return, to be with your parents.

MH: Yes, I had gone with Ida's brother for a long time, but he went off to the service and I didn't hear much from him. So I figured, oh heck, I would just as soon go home with the rest of the family. My sister was still in Pocatello at that time, she hadn't decided to leave yet, so I saved enough and then I came home.

<End Segment 25> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.