<Begin Segment 14>

TL: What are some of the other experiences at Puyallup, or later in Minidoka, that you remember?

YB: Puyallup, everybody was too busy hustling around because they knew we had to move again. And we were in very crowded quarters then. But we were all assigned a job. I had to go around and check all the rooms, and see there was no fire going on, and see that they kept things in order. Then when we went to Idaho, some I think went... I guess they were in different... the ones all that were mostly in Puyallup went to Idaho.

And there, there were some complications, because Clarence being a reserve officer -- there was also another one that came from Portland, but he joined after Clarence had joined. He's younger than Clarence. And he had a different outlook than Clarence did, and Clarence couldn't see eye to eye with him, but it was never brought to light. I mean, whatever was going on, Clarence sensed it.

And they were very, the one sad thing was, the older parents, or the Isseis, would hear a plane flying overhead and say, "Oh, maybe that's a plane from Japan. Maybe they're coming to pick us up." And then again they'd say, "Oh, that -- maybe they enemies. Maybe they're going to shoot us while we're in camp." So there's this two different outlook. And we had to tell them that, it was neither one.

However, you sense all kinds and hear all kinds of things from both angles, and so you have to sort of be on your toes. I know I had to be, with myself and my little boy, and watch carefully because they knew Clarence was in the army and was really American, and that maybe he would go against the Japanese. Naturally he would if he had to go out and fight, but not in camp. He wasn't fighting the people there. So we had to be very careful.

TL: Did his status in the reserves ever change, as it did for some people who suddenly found themselves reclassified to....

YB: No. He was, he was still a captain. And it was never taken away from him, because he was still cooperating in every way with the evacuation. And then I took over the Red Cross work and we, and those who were willing, pitched in to sew and make things and collect things, and we kept mailing it back to Seattle. But the part that makes me sad was -- perhaps it wasn't done intentionally. Perhaps in the rush and the busyness of all the war and everything, and they might have had a, been overworked at the Red Cross, but they couldn't find our schedules or our timetables, or everything that they had to keep track of what we did to receive the hours and the pins. They had a few. I did get my pin and one other girl, but they hadn't kept too close on that, and we thought one of these days -- I know the lady that was in there originally, she would have, but she had to retire and someone else came in and maybe they just dropped it there. So those who should have received a Red Cross pin for the hour that they put in helping me, should have gotten one.

TL: Did you apply for an early leave clearance, or did you stay?

YB: We stayed almost to the end. Clarence wanted to see what happened towards the end. And... so it was just about almost, I think, at the end that people were leaving.

<End Segment 14> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.