<Begin Segment 31>

SY: Well, I think that's a great story to end with. I do... I mean, I am sort of going to go over this one last time because I think it's so interesting, that the whole camp experience for you, you kind of think it sort of broadened your experience?

CI: I think so.

SY: But I still have to ask, do you think that it had any kind of lasting bad effect on you or negative effect?

CI: Oh, I wouldn't say negative. I think it made me a more thoughtful person.

SY: Stronger, too?

CI: Thoughtful, too. I don't know if it's made me more tolerant; I would hope so.

SY: And really always sort of looked on the positive side when you were going through it as well?

CI: Uh-huh. You know, I recently read Min Yasui's story. I don't know if you've read that. It was very, very powerful for me, what that family went through. And I thought, gee, what I went through is nothing compared to what Min Yasui and his family went through in Oregon. So I think to that end, each of us has different things that happened to us, and none can be worse than somebody else's, it's what you can tolerate.

SY: And you're very strong. Your family, though, do you think that your parents could say the same thing, that it was a positive -- not positive -- but broadening experience?

CI: No, but the only thing I regret is that, like my dad, he worked so hard all of his life, had to go to work when he was twelve years old, because his mother had severe arthritis. And then he was never able to finish school, but he sent all of us to college. And then redress comes along and he gets nothing. And he's the one that suffered the most. And someone that was just born, maybe they were born a couple of days after camp, and yet they get their twenty thousand dollars. You know, I guess I'm being selfish, but it just didn't seem fair.

SY: So why is it that he didn't get redress?

CI: Because he died.

SY: Oh, I'm sorry. He died before camp.

CI: Before redress.

SY: Oh, you mean, oh, before... oh, I see.

CI: Yeah, my stepfather.

SY: Your stepfather.

CI: And a lot of people were in the same situation that they suffered, they lost everything, and they get nothing for redress.

SY: Because they passed.

CI: They passed away. So maybe I'm being selfish. But anyway, that's one of the regrets I have is that Dad didn't.

SY: Because he suffered.

CI: Oh, he did. He lost. But he did send all of us to school, which I think is very good.

SY: Your whole family, that's wonderful. Okay, Christie. Thank you so much. Really appreciate it. I think we're at the end here.

<End Segment 31> - Copyright &copy; 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.