<Begin Segment 10>

MN: Now, so you're saying that in July you were starting to hear word that it might become a military zone. When did you actually hear that it was, now you had to move?

LW: It must've been in, around that time when the WRA had established an office in Reedley, so when they set up that office and began processing us, then we, of course, then we knew that this, the decision had been made, that we too would have to move. So as soon as they began that process we knew that the government had decided, you too, all the folks would have to evacuate.

MN: When this was going on, what was going through your mind?

LW: A lot of fear, anxiety that... so the government has declared, "Well, you're also under orders to evacuate," so we were very upset, but we had to make plans to vacate.

MN: Did you question your American citizenship?

LW: I never questioned my American citizenship. I just felt like, what a terrible thing to do to, to those of us who were citizens, and beyond that I guess it was part of the attitude that we had been, we had grown up with, shikata ga nai. There's nothing we can do about it. If that's the order, there's nothing we can do except to obey orders.

MN: Now what did your father do with the three pieces of property?

LW: Well, fortunately we had made good friends in Reedley, through the Mennonite Brethren community and through the church, and since they were very friendly to us Japanese families, my dad asked a young Mennonite Brethren couple if they would be willing to live in our homes and take care of our property, our farms, and they were, they said yes. So that was a major anxiety on the part of my, my parents, and there was a, he really trusted them. There was a real good element of trust that was going on between the Japanese American community, the Christian community, and the Mennonite Brethren.

MN: As you prepare to leave your home, how long did you think you were gonna be away?

LW: We had no idea. We kept talking about we would be there, we would be in the camp for the duration, whatever that meant. We meant the duration of the war. As soon as the war was over we were, we had the hopes of returning.

MN: On the day of your departure, where did you gather and how did you get there?

LW: We had our Mennonite Brethren families, friends drive us from Dinuba to the Reedley train depot. That's where we were to be picked up. It was an August afternoon. And so we were all prepared. The Reedley folks, mainly the Mennonite Brethren, were kind enough to have some cold drinks there, and they were there ready to bid us goodbye, to send us off on the trains.

[Interruption]

MN: Okay. Now you had already graduated from Reedley High School, but years later you found this document from the Reedley High School principal that he had put out when the Japanese Americans were being put into camp. What did he say in that document?

LW: It was something about, "In Reedley we want to remain as friends with the Japanese American community." I think that was the essence of it. I don't know the full text, but it was a reaching out in friendship to the Japanese Americans.

<End Segment 10> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.