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TI: Yeah, I wanted to go back, I just remembered something. So your dad, when he was talking to the FBI about the Japanese boys who went to the service, did your dad ever talk about any of the Japanese that didn't come back, that were killed in action or anything like that? Did you ever hear any stories about that? Because several of them that were Collins Playfield kids, especially in Europe, they were killed in action.

DB: Sure.

TI: I had an uncle who was killed in action, and so I was wondering if your dad ever talked about that.

DB: Well, he did, but only in short and teeth clenched. He would have broken down. He would not have been able to do that. He knew about all of them, he told us about 'em. (...) (I can) remember (when) he heard from somebody who was (killed) in Italy in the 442nd. Then he'd go on a rant, (...) one of his lovable rants about how courageous they were, and they got more medals, and they were the best unit and this sort of thing. (...) He may have (talked) to the older kids and he may have to Mom, but that was tough for him to do.

MG: You'd get a little snippet, or you'd get a little whatever kind of stuff and then he would just shut down.

DB: But every time there would be an FBI guy that would come, (...) we'd know not every, but we'd know when an FBI agent had come because then he'd come home and he'd go through this -- again I use the term "rant," I hope the audience doesn't think he's a ranter -- but anyway, he'd go off on a, I guess it's a tirade, yeah, a controlled tirade. Of how these kids never, the families never, there was never a criminal record, there was never an issue with these kids to actually be investigated like this, he thought it was a crime. He was a real advocate and a real supporter. They were his kids. We were sometimes asked -- he was such a Collins guy -- and was so much time at Collins (...). We had pseudo psychologists in those days. They aren't on television like they are today, but people would ask us (...), "Aren't you a little jealous of the kids at Collins because your dad is down there?" We looked at them in bewilderment. "What do you mean, jealous? That's my dad." He was a universal guy. We were incredibly proud of him and what he did. And we participated, different age group you were in, but you were brought along. You were brought along and you were part of the process. We were never jealous. The amount of time that he spent, he was down there, like I say, in the wintertime the gym opened up, the field house opened up two to eleven, men's groups were late and women's groups were... so Tuesday was the women's day at the field house, he was home for dinner. The only time he was home for dinner was on Tuesday, late Saturdays and Sundays. (We) talk about doctors spending a lot of time at the hospital, he was a lot of time at Collins. And I don't think any of our older brother, sister, the younger kids, Mike and Dan, probably this era had pretty much gone. But us older kids never, I don't think, ever had a selfish thought in their body as to what he was doing there and why he was there and how much he loved it. I mean, this guy had enthusiasm. If you didn't love Collins before you met him, you would love Collins after you met him.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2013 Densho. All Rights Reserved.