<Begin Segment 19>

TI: So what was the reunion like with your brother?

RE: Pretty good. My brother was so happy to see our family safe, that was most of his concern, was the safety of the family. But found out that it wasn't too long, that my, he was, he was in a controversial situation as you know. Back in (...) early '43, 1943, they were embroiled in the controversy of joining the army or whatever, you know. My brother's stance was a patriotic stance that said, "We've got to prove our loyalty to America, there are no other options." And the other, there were only a handful of dissidents, but these young men said, "Why should we do -- " I remember being in the barrack, in the mess hall at nights, night after night when these things went on, at least six nights a week. They were, they were just, it was just the same old rehash, why we shouldn't go. And, of course, there were legitimate arguments on both sides, as I recall, recollect. Because, you know, when you're incarcerated like that with no charges, and then being asked to join the army, why would you want to do that?

TI: So describe these discussions. How many...

RE: They were heated.

TI: ...other people were there, and was it a debate, more, or how --

RE: There were at least a dozen if not more people. There were a few who took sides with my brother, but by and large, there were, the more dissidents at these meetings attacking my brother's stance. They said, "How could you be like that? You were born in Japan of all things," you know. My brother said, "That's not the issue. The issue is that you people born here should now find ways to get your, your family out of here. And how do you think you're gonna get your family out of here?" And that was his stance. But then, you know, he found that, what is he gonna do? So he finally wrote Secretary of War Henry Stimson.

TI: And so describe that again. So the letter and the whole process, why don't you talk about that?

RE: Well, prior to that, however, some fights ensued, and I think my brother got stuck in the back with a fork, I remember. It wasn't a serious wound, but nonetheless, my brother was beaten up on several occasions. Us kids were also considered bad eggs, so we would run around with these little plastic, like, helmet, what do you call those? Liner, helmet liners with guns, and we would play war. [Laughs] So we would get beaten up because we played American soldiers. So you know, all was, not all the great issue of to join the armed forces or not. But my brother finally said, "Well, I need to, I need to talk to somebody because I should do my patriotic duty. And so the letter he produced went to Secretary of War Stimson, and a copy went to the President of the United States. My understanding -- and I hope I'm correct on this -- was Eleanor Roosevelt apparently sauntered by the President's desk, saw the letter, was so moved, so moved by the letter that she asked the President the right to talk to my brother, and apparently she called him by phone to Topaz. And just said, "What can I do for you?" And my brother said just that, "I need to have, be able to be in the armed forces." Apparently the President directed the Secretary of War, Mr. Stimson, to act on his behalf. And he went, not many months went by when he was now allowed to join the army.

TI: Wow, what a story.

RE: So that hit the newspapers across the country.

TI: And how was that received inside Topaz?

RE: Well, you know, I'm not sure much was said because it wasn't too many months after that he and my sister Amy and my dad left because of the, the Quaker people were very kind to us. And especially our family was in imminent danger from the attack by people in the camp.

TI: So let's talk about that. So, so it didn't change over time. I mean, it was still pretty, pretty tense for your family.

RE: Yes. So it was that we pretty much, as a family kept to ourselves.

TI: And, and so I get the, sort of, over the decision to join the army or not. So there was a faction that opposed that, so they would --

RE: Yeah, I mean, they weren't, they were militant enough that they would be segregated out and sent to Tule Lake or anything, no. They argued their, their point pretty well, addressing that point that, hey, we've been mistreated, we've been... we're held here without due process and all this stuff.

TI: So I'm curious, did the Japanese American Citizens League ever come into play? 'Cause they were very, in the same way, feeling that men should volunteer. Did they ever try to support your brother?

RE: I don't recall that, no.

<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.