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TI: Okay, so the way I start this, Hank, is just the date and where we are, so today's Friday, June 11, 2010. We're in Honolulu at the Ala Moana Hotel. On camera is Dana Hoshide, and I'm the interviewer, Tom Ikeda. And so we have an interview with, with Hank Naito, but... so the first question, Hank, and actually I asked you before the, we started, but tell me where and when you were born.

HN: San Diego, California, April 20, 1926.

TI: And what part of San Diego?

HN: Well, my father, at the time, was in, he was a fisherman, so... I forgot the name of the street, but it was on the water, near the waterfront area, downtown.

TI: And when you were born what was the name given to you at birth?

HN: Apparently Hitoshi Naito. I asked my parents, "How come my English name is missing?" because my two other siblings, my older brother and younger, they have the English name... Paul Akira Naito, and my younger brother was John Isamu Naito. So I asked my parents, "How come?" They said, "We were really busy at the time." [Laughs]

TI: So they didn't pick a middle name for you. No, that's funny. But later on you got an American name, and that's Hank.

HN: Well, all my friends, yeah.

TI: So why don't you tell me, how did "Hank" come about?

HN: When I was young boy, went to, we used to play baseball, softball in particular, and I used to, I don't know why, but I used to hit home runs quite often, so other guy says, "Well, you're like Hank Greenberg," playing for the Detroit Tigers. They said, "Okay, we'll call you Hank," and it was almost seventy years ago.

TI: Now were these, when you say friends, were these Japanese friends?

HN: Yeah, Japanese friends. Yeah, living in Terminal Island there.

TI: Okay, good.

<End Segment 1> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.