<Begin Segment 7>

TI: Well, other than the Methodist Church being very supportive of the Japanese American community, how about the, the other Caucasian population? How would you characterize that?

SK: Very supportive, because on 7th of December, when Pearl Harbor was being attacked, a big bunch of us, Oriental population, was gathered, were gathered at one of the leading hotels in Spokane, downtown Spokane, attending a wedding of a Nisei couple. Joe Okamoto was marrying Sumi Yoshida and it's that, one of their sons from their marriage is a, now a retired big shot over here.

TI: Dennis Okamoto.

SK: Dennis Okamura, Okamoto, yeah, that's the one. Yeah. So, and I was one of, a member of that party and we had the mayor of the city, chief of police, and one of the judges, who was our unofficial advisor to the JACL chapter that I had a hand in helping to create in Spokane. They were all gathered at this same Desert Hotel.

TI: This was on December 7, 1941...

SK: That's right, that's right.

TI: ...that all the civic leaders of Spokane were, were at this wedding.

SK: So, so the mayor was concerned about the safety of the out-of-towners who had come to this wedding. So he said, "Can you form a committee to find out who came from where and how they're going home, what route they will be taking and how many and, license plate of the car and so forth, so forth. Give me the details so that we can make sure that they get home safely." And we did that. Bunch of us did that at the hotel. And then in the meantime, my mother takes me aside, of course, and reminds me. She says, "I needn't tell you that this is your country, no matter who says what. Now, your country is at war." She said, "You should be mentally prepared to go fight for your country." She said, "The only thing I have to ask you now, is, is at least stay home for the holidays, for the Christmas and New Year's and then you go." I said, "Okay, fine." So on 5th of January, I packed up, said goodbye to everybody and walked to the selective service office so many blocks away, and announce that I'm ready to go. Well, he told me, "Well, you better go, go home and think things over first. We're at war with Japan, you know." I said, "I know that. That's why, the only thing I'm here for." And they kept telling me to go home. And the longer I stayed there, the more, well, I wasn't exactly angry, but I was disturbed more than anger. So I finally pushed the piece of paper across the top of the desk and I said, "How about give me your name. Print, print your name on this piece of paper and give me the names of the rest of you fellas here in this selective service office." And he said, "What do you want our names for?" And I said, "If they tell me at Fort Lewis that I don't qualify, then I will come home, but you fellas here in Spokane don't even want to send me over there. Human interest story there, I'm going give it, give it to one of my buddies who works for a newspaper. I want your names." So he went back and told the others about it and he came back and said, "Well, don't blame us if something happens to ya." I said, "Oh, no. You'll be safe. Just send me out of here." And that's how I got, got to -- I think not Fort Lewis, but Camp Murray, I believe. And there I raised my right hand and earned twenty-one bucks as a buck private on 8th of January. Month and a day after Pearl Harbor.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.