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BN: So when did you find out your destination, or where you were going to be moving to, do you remember?

SM: We did not know where we were going, they never told us. We got on the government train after the assembly center, and we were on that train for three days and nights until we finally got to our destination. They never told us we were going to Heart Mountain, Wyoming, until we got there. That was the real problem in itself.

BN: What was your first impression arriving at Heart Mountain?

SM: Well, I remember it was a windy day, I'll never forget that strong wind. And it was cold, it was at night, and we got off the train, and we got put on these backs of army trucks. I remember those trucks. And piled us in like cattle inside this back of an army truck, until the truck was completely full, and then we drove off. And I remember going through the main gate, the guard tower next to the gate, going through the armed guards, driving up to our block. And I saw these rows and rows of barracks. And the truck driver let us off at our block which is called Lower Block 14 at Heart Mountain. And walking into our assigned barrack in a room called (14-22-D). 22 is the block number... I'm sorry, 14-22-D. 14 is the block number, 22 is the barrack number, and D is the room or cell within the barrack. That was a shock.

BN: At Heart Mountain, were you all, was it just the four of you or were your grandparents also with you?

SM: No, grandparents were assigned another room, another block.

BN: So it was just the four of you.

SM: Almost the opposite end of the camp. And they had their own room, which is for a couple, the end room, which was the smallest room.

BN: And then at Heart Mountain, was the block mostly San Francisco people then?

SM: Most of the people in our Lower 14 block were San Franciscans. In fact, some were from my school, I remember, and some of my classmates were in the same block.

BN: So you had kids that you already knew.

SM: Yes, we knew a couple fellows. You may have heard of, in the San Francisco area, other people, friends of mine.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2022 Densho. All Rights Reserved.