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TI: And before we go back to the military, I just want to talk a little bit in terms of some of the other extracurricular activities you would do, like church or sports or things like that?

RK: Well, yeah. I think I was eight, and my brother was six. So it was like my uncle told my mom and dad that I should go to church, "It'd be good for him." So, yeah, I went to Buddhist church. And then he comes up and he says, "Oh, he should join the Scouts. Scouting would be good for him. So I ended up in the Cub Scouts. And they did the same thing to my brother, "You go to church, it's good for you."

TI: When you told me that, you kind of laughed about it. So what was that, why did you laugh? Because a lot of people went to the Buddhist church.

RK: Well, it's like you're telling me I have to do this, why don't you ask me if I wanted to? My kids, both Curtis and Derek, I never told them they had to do any Scouts, I left it up to them. I asked them, "Do you want to do it, then fine. But if  you don't like it, you can drop out." Same thing with church. But for me, it was like you're shoving this down my throat, you don't even give me a chance.

TI: And so because of that, I mean, given that you felt like they didn't ask you, you just had to go, what was the Buddhist church and Scouts like for you? Was it kind of an unpleasant experience or did you learn to like it?

RK: Well, you learned to like it after a while, because you make a lot of friends, especially in Scouting and at church, too. But it wasn't like something that I needed to do or had to do. But after a while, yeah, I'd make new friends. I didn't mind it.

TI: As a teenager, when you think back, was there a certain type of activity that was kind of yours that you really liked to do, that was one of your favorite things to do?

RK: Well, just growing up, going to school, I participated in a lot of sports. But then when your grades started to fall...

TI: They don't let you play sports.

RK: You can't do it anymore. Because the coaches won't let you play unless you get your school, unless you get your grades up.

TI: Now, what sports did you like to play?

RK: Well, I started out playing, started out running track in junior high school.

TI: And what event did you do?

RK: Actually, I was the only one in the seventh grade that was participating in any sports, track, baseball, basketball, I was the only one. And then I got lucky, the first year in track, we won a city championship, so I got a block [inaudible] one year.

TI: When you say you're the only one, were you like the only one in the family that was doing things.

RK: Yeah. My brother never participated in any sports.

TI: So sports was kind of like your thing that you were the only one doing?

RK: Well, the two cousins, the Sekino boys, they participated in track, football, baseball, so I just did it.

TI: But you really liked this, you liked sports? This was something you chose to do?

RK: It was like the competition, that was the fun part.

TI: Now, so did people, if they were to describe you back then, would they say you're a good athlete?

RK: Yeah, "You're a decent athlete. Maybe not the greatest, but you're a decent athlete. You've got good speed for track."

TI: And so were you like a sprinter? You would run the sprints, and that made you good at football because you were fast there, made you good in baseball because you could feel...

RK: Well, I kind of gave up baseball after a while because I'm too short, I'm a little guy.

TI: Really? Baseball is the one sport you can play when you're little, right? Football is hard when you're small. Track and baseball, basketball is kind of hard if you're short.

RK: Well, I don't know. Won a city championship.

TI: Oh, that's significant.

RK: In basketball.

TI: Oh, so you were on a team that won the city championship?

RK: Yeah. I won a city championship in track.

TI: So those were all significant.

RK: Those were the only two that I really did anything. Football it was just football, football, you get knocked around and get beat up.

TI: I could tell, sports was important because you light up when you talk about sports.

RK: I had a lot of fun. That was the fun part, being around other athletes.

<End Segment 12> - Copyright © 2024 Densho. All Rights Reserved.