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MA: And so, I guess, let's talk a little about your childhood and upbringing and where you went to elementary school and high school.

EH: Oh, okay. But let me back up a little bit.

MA: Sure.

EH: Anyway, I told you my mom went out to go live by herself. And apparently -- well, at that time, my birth father's younger brother, my uncle, who had served with 442, came home, and he worked for the Hilo Electric Light Company before he went in. So he got his job back. And I guess him being a good person, he saw my mom with three kids struggling, so he used to, I remember he used to come over take us to the movies, take us to the beach. He kind of really did help my mother a lot, you know. I even remember Christmases and stuff like that, him bringing the presents and stuff. What was really funny was he was always Uncle Bob, Uncle Bob. And one day my mom said, "You don't have to call him uncle anymore, call him dad." [Laughs] So he became Dad. So my stepfather is actually my uncle.

MA: And this was your birth father's younger brother?

EH: Younger brother. And I guess, like I said, because he had just come back from the war in Europe, he didn't have anybody.

MA: And did you ever talk to him about his experiences during the war with the 442nd?

EH: A little. And I guess a lot of it I've picked up, they would meet regularly, his bunch.

MA: The Nisei veterans?

EH: Well, F Company was his company, so those people, there were quite a few of them in Hilo at that time, from F Company. And they would get together at least once every couple months or so. So I used to just hear from them. In fact, one of the F Company guys who was my father's platoon sergeant, was one of those who received his Medal of Honor not too long ago.

MA: Seems like in Hawaii there's a strong legacy of the Nisei 100th and 442nd here.

EH: Yeah. And I think, too, because when you go to war, you see all your buddies dying, so you develop this bond that I don't think you would develop otherwise. Friends are friends, but when you're dying for your friend and your friend dies for you and you're living and your friend is dead, I think it's a different type of situation.

MA: And your mother, you mentioned earlier that she worked as a seamstress. Is that something she continued when you were growing up?

EH: Uh-huh. She worked for Kamehameha Garments in Hilo, which was... I think it was Crown Industries. But I know, those days, no such thing as hourly wages. It was all what they call by piece. How many, they got paid by how many pieces they sold, that they owe or whatever. She worked hard.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.