Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Kiwamu "Kiyo" Tsuchida Interview
Narrator: Kiwamu "Kiyo" Tsuchida
Interviewer: Tom Ikeda
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: April 24, 2012
Densho ID: denshovh-tkiwamu-01-0017

<Begin Segment 17>

TI: I'm gonna ask you later if you ever saw anyone from Tule Lake when you were in Japan, but before we get there, let's talk about Topaz. So your parents are going to Topaz with your younger siblings, so tell me about Topaz. What was Topaz like?

KT: Topaz was, I thought it was nice. In fact, I got a job working as a cook in the kitchen. I made a lot of salad and it was up to me to make the coffee. I was, my brothers, both of 'em were there on furlough, same time, and they came through the mess line and we had eggplant, breaded eggplant and we'd deep fry 'em. And he said, "What is that?" He said, "I thought it was a veal cutlet." [Laughs] Then he said, "It's just like an army mess. You never get what you want."

TI: So both Frank and Takeshi were on leave at the same time.

KT: Satoshi, yeah.

TI: I'm sorry, yeah, Satoshi. Satoshi or...

KT: Hitoshi was in --

TI: Okay, yeah, that's right, Takeshi and Satoshi.

KT: Yeah, Hitoshi was in Caldwell.

TI: That's right. Right, so Takeshi and Satoshi. Who were they assigned to? Were they 442, or which unit were they?

KT: No. Shadow was Signal Corps, I think.

TI: And so what was he doing with the Signal Corps?

KT: Gosh, I don't know. Anyway, he went to Fort Monmouth in New Jersey, which is a Signal Corps place, from Arkansas, then he came to Savage. I was in the mess hall, guy hollers my name, "Hey, Kiyo." So I look, I was wondering who knows me as Kiyo there, and I looked and it was my brother, Satoshi. So he must've taken a language exam or something and they sent him to Savage. And other brother was in, Takeshi was in Camp Barkeley, Texas, and he was, I don't know, he was there for a while and then he went back to Fort Warren again. I don't know what he was doing. And then later on they shipped him out to, I think it was 104th Division or something, to Europe.

TI: Okay. You mentioned that your brother said Kiyo, and people didn't call you Kiyo back then, I guess, the others. What did people call you when you were in the army?

KT: In the army, most of 'em would call me Tooch or Tsuchida.

TI: Tooch or Tsuchida, okay. So that was kind of your nickname, Tooch?

KT: Well, they called Shadow, Satoshi, Tooch, most of the guys. In fact, I met a guy, I knew this guy on the ship going to Japan, my third trip back to Japan or something, and I'm trying to think of his name, but one day I saw him in the commissary. He says, "Hey, for two years I thought your brother was you." [Laughs]

TI: Because they, the same name.

KT: Yeah, he was with Satoshi.

TI: Well, did the two of you kind of look alike?

KT: I guess so, to him we did.

TI: Okay.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.