<Begin Segment 13>

BN: The last two things I'm gonna ask you about was, one, at JCCH we have the wooden carving of you and the child. I wonder if you could just tell us the story about how that came to be.

HM: Oh. That was, I guess I was in the seventh grade. In fact, the gal (who) was standing next to me and took a picture with me was Eleanor. I can't believe this. But anyway, she was my best friend, and my mother felt that my father should have a picture of me but I guess she decided to allow Eleanor to come with me and we went to the photographer and he took this picture. And that was the first time I had a permanent. So I guess he must have taken that... I guess he learned carving in camp, 'cause I never knew that he could do that. But anyway, so he carved a likeness of me from that picture.

BN: Did he send it back or did he just bring it back when he returned?

HM: I can't remember whether he sent it back or he just brought it back with his belongings, 'cause he probably didn't have too many belongings. But that was a... and I can't find the original picture. And I wanted, Eleanor and I were standing with the photographer.

BN: Now that I know, maybe I'll ask her family. Maybe she's got it.

HM: (Yes), maybe. But I met her husband, Eleanor's husband, and he's a really nice fellow. Actually, after Eleanor died, he said he wanted to bury her at Punchbowl. But then at that time, they were having some problems with burial grounds and all that, so he was waiting. And I don't know whether he eventually did that or not because I told him to please let me know when he does do that because we would want to be there, some of her classmates.

BN: Yeah, I don't know if they, he did.

HM: I don't think he did, he ever came back after that. So he's still in California, right?

BN: Yeah. He's... his health is going down a little bit. I mean, he's still okay, but he has the children a little worried about... where he's going to...

HM: So now, wait. This is your mother's friend?

BN: They were just real close friends.

HM: Oh, they were neighbors?

BN: I think they became good friends in Japan, because my mother was also another family that went to Japan.

HM: Went back to Japan? Oh.

BN: So I think they became close friends in Japan. So she remembers meeting [inaudible] at the time in Japan.

HM: Oh, I see.

BN: He's more Nisei than most Nisei.

HM: Oh, yes. He was, yeah, really nice. Oh, my goodness.

BN: And then I guess the last thing I wanted to ask you is just, having gone through what you did during the wartime, knowing that this, we're doing this for the younger generation, if there's anything, particular message or anything you wanted to share with young people about that time and what it has, how it can impact our future, too.

HM: Oh, dear. That's a hard question. Well, I don't know. I guess with influence of drugs and all that in the society now, I just wish that... because at the time when we grew up, we didn't have any of that, and I think we grew up to be pretty good kids. And so I just hope that they would be able to adopt some of the Japanese values which is really nice. I think they're something that I think future generations should be aware of.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright &copy; 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.