<Begin Segment 16>

AI: Well I think that's, in some ways that's a hard thing, especially for the Japanese American, especially for the Nisei generation, that so many folks had in their families emphasized, "Don't talk about yourself." And, "Stay in the background, don't be bragging about what you've done." And I think that stays with you a long time.

KO: Right.

AI: So even a situation like this, where we really need to hear all of that, you still feel a little...

KO: Yeah, a little self-conscious about it. And the other part is, that you wonder if your story is worth telling. That's the other part of it. 'Course, I guess only history will tell if it was worth the telling or not.

AI: Well, I think that's one of the beauties of this kind of oral history, as it's called, because finally people are recognizing that we really do need to have the everyday person's life as part of the historical record. 'Cause if we only have what happened to the rich and famous, that's not a true picture, either.

RW: It's distorted.

KO: That's right. And certainly the, having gone through the evacuation is an experience that, as we said before, that no other American will ever go through again, I'm quite certain. And that's -- the evacuation and the war is becoming a distant memory now. Especially WWII, where there are very few survivors now. Maybe people, unless they study it, will not appreciate what went on during those periods.

AI: Right.

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