<Begin Segment 7>

TI: Let's go back to Manzanar. So from Elk Grove you are sent to Manzanar?

PT: Yes. We were the last ones, probably one of the last two groups to go to Manzanar, and we all went by bus. There's no train on that side. We were on Block 30 and 31, right on the northeast corner. You been there?

TI: Yes.

PT: Our house was the first apartment next to the... each block had some kind of a person who made, I don't know what he was, but organizer or something like that. I really don't know what the hell he did.

TI: They always had block captain or block something, block leader?

PT: Maybe it was a block captain or something. Yes, that's it. So we had this extreme corner, this is the northeast corner, and there's a machine gun pointing to us. And across the way was the people from Florin. There weren't many Japanese in Elk Grove. So I became friends with one of the Florin guys. We all registered, and when I registered, the guy asked me would I be interested in working as an orderly? I didn't know what an orderly was, and they said, "Working in the hospital." I said, "Sure, why not?" The hospital at that time was just like regular camp, and I was put on the evening shift.

[Interruption]

TI: We're at Manzanar, your job is as an orderly in the hospital, you have the night shift, and so that's where we're picking up the story.

PT: This is the woman who was my supervisor. [Laughs]

TI: Oh, so this is a picture taken by Ansel Adams because he was there, and it's your supervisor. She was a very attractive woman.

PT: Isn't she pretty? She was married, goody for her. [Laughs] But it is her younger brother that received...

TI: That was shot?

PT: He was shot and killed in Italy and received the highest...

TI: The Distinguished Service Cross or the Medal of Honor?

PT: Yes.

TI: I see.

PT: And I thought that you would be interested.

TI: Oh, Munemori, yes. That's a Medal of Honor winner.

PT: And so she was on the midnight shift, and I'm on the midnight shift, so we would just tease one another. I'm kind of shy at that point yet, and so she said, "Paul, you look like one of those Hollywood guys," bad guys who carries a gun and so forth. Anyway, so she would tease me. You forgot that you're in a concentration camp, you take care of these little kids, and she taught me a lot. She never used the word that, "You're doing very important work here." She'd just make a joke out of it. And then she said, "If something comes up, just call me," so that's what I did. I think she was married already, I'm not sure. But her sense of humor in this terrible situation -- and it was a terrible situation -- made a tremendous difference to me. And I forever remember her for that.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.