<Begin Segment 15>

MN: Okay, let's get into the war years. What were you doing on Sunday, December 7, 1941?

DM: I distinctly remember because my brother and I went into the desert to hunt rabbits. And on the way back we had the radio on in our pickup truck saying that Pearl Harbor was bombed. So we hurried home, and I went into the backyard and buried the gun. That's about all I remember about Pearl Harbor day.

MN: Did you know people who were picked up by the FBI?

DM: Oh, yeah. The next day, a lot of... like my Japanese teacher and the priest at the church, and all those important people were picked up.

MN: How did the people in the town of Brawley treat you after Pearl Harbor?

DM: We stayed... we didn't venture out much, knowing what could happen. So we didn't go into town very often except for provisions. Because the Japanese grocery store was still open. And when was it? It was the early part of '42 when we got notice to report to the Methodist church with one suitcase apiece. That was just about in the middle of our harvest season. All that didn't go to waste, I don't think, because my dad turned over the farm to this Mexican family to look after the farm and the equipment.

MN: Did he look after it? I mean, when you returned after the war, how was it...

DM: When we went back after the war, no, there was no farm. Everything was gone, the family was gone. They probably went back across the border with everything. So that's the last we'd seen of it.

MN: How did you feel when you found out you had to go into a camp?

DM: You know, at that age, it was most like a lark, adventure.

MN: How did your hakujin friends treat you after Pearl Harbor?

DM: Some of the closer friends were still friendly.

MN: Was there a cherished item that you had to leave behind?

DM: I can't think of any except the gun, but then didn't have much to call my possession.

MN: Now your sister Junko was working at the Kashu. What happened to her?

DM: She had to come home. So she left with us from Brawley to Poston.

MN: And you said you left from the Methodist church, Japanese Methodist church?

DM: We were told to assemble there.

MN: When you got there, were there a lot of soldiers?

DM: Soldiers, yeah. Even the soldiers were driving the bus.

MN: So you get there, you have to get on these buses, what happened to your luggage?

DM: I think they were thrown up on top.

MN: And then did the bus take you to a train depot?

DM: No, straight to Poston on the bus.

MN: Do you remember how many buses?

DM: Oh, there must have been about ten, twelve or so.

MN: Did the buses have any bathrooms on them?

DM: No. I think we stopped in Coachella for... in the army there was a term for that kind of stop, I can't remember.

MN: Pit stop?

DM: Pit stop.

MN: What memories do you have of the bus ride?

DM: It was dusty, sweaty ride. Must have taken us at least six, seven hours to get there.

MN: Did they pass out water on the bus?

DM: I don't remember.

MN: Food?

DM: No, no food.

MN: You said it took about seven hours?

DM: Yeah, somewhere around there.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.