<Begin Segment 16>

DG: Now you were in school in Nahcotta?

RM: No.

DG: Let's talk about yourself now and your schooling. What I want to get to is you stopped the university to help your father, but let's start with your early years again. Now you went to school in Nahcotta. Were you the only Japanese?

RM: No. Not Nahcotta. No, I went school in Ilwaco. We had to ride a school bus. Had to go about ten miles to school.

DG: And were you only Japanese in your class?

RM: Oh, yeah.

DG: So what did you think of yourself at that time? I mean, did you think of yourself as different from the Caucasians?

RM: Oh, sure.

DG: Why?

RM: Well, because we were, we were.

DG: Did they tease you?

RM: Huh?

DG: Did they tease you?

RM: Well, the little kids used to called us Japs and threw rocks at us, but we got over that.

DG: What did you do when they did that?

RM: Just let it go.

DG: You said you had a temper.

RM: Yeah. Well, we finally changed. People, kids never called us that.

DG: But when they were calling you that, you didn't get upset?

RM: Well, if I remember, I think I got upset all right.

DG: But you didn't do anything back?

RM: Nothing much to do.

DG: Why didn't you?

RM: Huh?

DG: Why didn't you retaliate? Why didn't you fight with them?

RM: I might have did some retaliation, but I just can't remember that.

DG: Did you talk to your mom or your dad about it at all?

RM: Oh yeah, they knew, sure.

DG: And what did they say?

RM: Well, they were fight for your rights.

DG: So they didn't mind if you had a fist fight?

RM: No. Well, I think I had one, but...

DG: Did your father discipline you?

RM: Well, I didn't really do that much, that stuff. [Laughs]

DG: What about your mother, did she tell you to do this or that or did she...

RM: No. I think I was a pretty good boy.

DG: Then how did you know what to do? Did they coach you?

RM: Well, they told me what was right and wrong, I guess.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.