<Begin Segment 44>

AI: Well, tell me a little bit as the boys were growing up, did you and Jack ever talk to them about the war or camp or anything like that?

KM: Our sons?

AI: Yeah.

KM: No, we never talked about, and we never had an opportunity to say anything. And they didn't, never ask anything either. But, see it's through Reid and Max's era that started asking me about back, where did grandfather come, and where did they come from, and all that. They became interested. I think because they started teaching that in school. And then that was around the time when college students and different people came and asked me for interview.

AI: Well, before we get to that, let me ask you a little bit more about how you and Jack decided to bring up John and Paul. And did you ever talk to them about prejudice? About the discrimination they might face?

KM: Yeah. Sometime, a little, but, you know Sanseis are more open, and they'll talk back and so forth. And so I don't, they had a little, but not as much as we did. And then, 'course, we tend to hold back whereas they would be open. But then we tried to raise them like I said, we became a Christian, so we tried to raise them as a Christian, going with them to Sunday school. And at this church that we still belong to now, they were the only Japanese. But you know my first son, John, was very loud and outgoing as he was small. And Paul was a real shy when he was small. And then they would always, because of his loud voice, for programs he would always be the emcee or have the main speaking part because he can talk. And then in grammar school it was the same way. They always, sixth grade or fifth grade was supposed to do, and he was still in the first, second grade, he got the part of introducing all these speakers in program because of his voice. So when I was going to give my testimony about camp, they would ask me to bring John for his solo part. And so he did all the singing for me.

AI: Oh now --

KM: So we were a program or team together. And we got into the paper, you know, different magazines. And then so one church would hear another for like youth rally or children's rally, they would feature him, and then have me talk to them.

AI: Well, now tell me how this got started, the testimony that you gave. The first time this happened. How did this come about?

KM: First time it happened, well we were talking, I was visiting somebody that was a Christian family. And then they asked me, "How did you become a Christian? How did you, what were you before," and so forth, and, "what happened?" And so I was telling them that through Jack's sickness, and being sent into camp, leaving everything, losing everything, just completely, was like a -- being naked, nothing. And then I was really torn and, after Jack got sick too, especially, I lost all my friends and I felt so alone and I felt like, "Gee, there must be a God that is fair," but I didn't know how to find Him and everything. And then, so they said, they invited me to church. And it was a gradual process. And through, like a missionaries and the, both combination together. And in fact I grew stronger and stronger through the church and the Christian people. And here again it was because I saw this through their lives. That they were interested enough, cared enough so that I could, I would know after I die. 'Cause I was afraid to die and get sick in case I die. 'Cause my father used to say that if you're bad here, you're gonna go to hell. And you'll get all burned up and this -- the oni thing is gonna, with a pitchfork, poke you around and so forth. I don't know why my dad ever said that, whether that's the teaching of the Buddhists or not. And I try to be good, but then you can't be perfect. But Christian says that if all your sins are forgiven, if you just believe Jesus, because He took our sins on the cross. And so that gave me a real peace in my heart.

AI: And so from time to time you and John would go to the different churches to speak about...

KM: Yeah. In fact for a while there when John was about three years old, every weekend we were in different churches, Shafter, Winton, all up and down the valley. And then they hear, somebody else would be there and they say, "Oh, we can get them." And then they say, "Give me your telephone number."

AI: Oh my.

KM: So we were really busy. And so I have a lot of clipping that was in the different paper. I made a baby book for John and he's got it all.

AI: Oh my.

<End Segment 44> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.