<Begin Segment 20>

TI: How did people in Pomona, after you, you're living there, how did the white community accept the Japanese after they, now that they're back, they're coming back?

BS: We were accepted because there weren't too many Japanese in the area. When my sister and I went to high school we were the only Japanese there, and so we were not discriminated against or anything. We were just ignored. At the high school I hardly knew anyone.

TI: So when you say ignored, you mean like, like not included in activities and social functions, kind of like that?

BS: Right. But maybe it was because of choice. I'm not an outgoing person. I don't... and so I guess that's the way I am that I was not included in a lot of the activity. The only thing I do remember about that high school is that when I was a senior we had to go up to the front of the class and give a short talk about something, so, so I remember I went up, I gave a, I gave a talk on "I am an American, too." And I spoke about going to the camp and I guess they didn't know a thing about it. I don't know what made me do that. I'm just surprised that I did that. "I am an American, too." Stupid.

TI: And what was the reaction of your classmates or the teacher?

BS: Oh, they just didn't say anything, which was, I guess, a good thing. I mean, they didn't jeer me or anything like that.

TI: But you said that many or some didn't know anything about the camps. How did you know they didn't know anything about the camps?

BS: Well, there was no reaction. I just said what I said and sat down and, and that was it.

TI: So after high school, what did you do?

BS: I went to two years of junior college there.

TI: And what did you study in junior college? What was your...

BS: Drafting. So then after I graduated I couldn't find a job and, but soon after the Korean War started and so I was drafted right away and I took my infantry training, and then I was pulled out of my group. The rest of 'em went somewhere. I don't know where they went, but I was pulled out and before I knew it I was on this ship to Korea, and so I ended up with this combat engineer group. And so luckily for my drafting training I was made a draftsman over there in Korea, so I got a good job. So luckily for my training, I served in the combat engineers, I drew bridges back there in the... it was a good experience.

TI: While you were in the military, did you ever hear about things like the 442 or the MIS or any of the older Niseis and what they did during World War II?

BS: No. I didn't read that much and I barely knew anything about them. I do remember that when I was on guard duty that I was thinking, gee, I wonder if these, my fellow soldiers know that I was in a concentration camp during World War II, that I'm guarding them? I thought, I actually thought that.

TI: That's, that's good.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.