Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Helene J. Minehira Interview
Narrator: Helene J. Minehira
Interviewers: Tom Ikeda, Kelli Nakamura
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Date: March 2, 2011
Densho ID: denshovh-mhelene-01-0024

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TI: So Helene, I finished all my questions. Is there anything else that you want to say or talk about, about the experience?

HM: Well, during the Christmas someone sent me a book. I'll show it to you. I've got, if I can get my fingers on it. I don't know whether you've seen this book. I was... it's tight in here.

[Interruption]

HM: I don't know whether you guys have written, sent to me for Christmas for Christmas present. Then when I read this it says age ten and up. Okay, that's okay. I'm included in that. But I learned something that I didn't know and I don't think a lot of people would know this. Read this. You'll be surprised.

TI: So in the part that's...

HM: Underlined.

TI: "When Lieutenant Abe returned to his aircraft carrier orders were given for the fleet to return immediately to Japan, canceling the third and final wave of bombings over Pearl Harbor. As history would later prove, this retreat was a most fortunate decision for our country."

HM: Okay, if that had happened, the third attack had happened, we wouldn't be talking here today.

TI: What, you think they would've attacked...

HM: Then we were right at the entrance of Pearl Harbor now. By then I'm sure our country would've been ready.

TI: Oh, in terms of, you think then there would've been a battle right over your house, for instance.

HM: Yeah. So when I read that I was shocked. So I've been doing a lot of reading and doing a lot of research, even today, so people say, "Forget it, Helene. It hurts you." But no, I want to continue it, and I, because it's not gonna come in our history book. I want people to be aware what had happened. Like the internees in, on the mainland, lot of my friends care less.

TI: And that's what, I think, Kelli sort of mentioned earlier, by you sharing your story, more people will understand this part of the history. Because on the mainland this, this part is very not known. I mean, I have done lots of research on Japanese American history, I wasn't aware of families like yours that had to leave in Hawaii, so thank you so much for sharing.

HM: Well yes, it's, it's a good thing that I had good friends that helped. That really helped us. We couldn't have done it if we didn't have help from the others. Because of others we were able to do it.

TI: Good. Anything else?

KN: Thank you for sharing your story. I think it's very valuable.

HM: So I feel so arigatai, so thankful.

TI: Okay, well thank you.

<End Segment 24> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.