<Begin Segment 9>

AI: Well now, you graduated, and what were you doing after graduation?

KO: Well, after graduation, you're always wondering what you're gonna' do, but I had to do something to make some money, so I ended up working in a machine shop. And I worked there for two or three years before evacuation. And if we hadn't evacuated, maybe I would have become a machinist by now, I don't know. But it's always interesting to kind of speculate what might have happened if the war hadn't come along, and we had the evacuation and all those things happening.

AI: Right. Well now, what do you recall about the day that Pearl Harbor was bombed? December 7th.

KO: Well, I can remember going down to a service station that we always hung around. And, I wasn't aware that anything had happened. And this fellow said something like, "Well, what do you think? About the bombing and all?" And I said, "What bombing?" And so he kind of filled me in.

Then, when I went to work -- I think this was on a Sunday, as I recall, December 7th -- went to work Monday, and my boss said to me, "Well you know, this war isn't gonna' last two weeks." Because a lot of people at that time had a feeling that Japan was not very strong, or very capable of turning out warships and things like that, that were any good. Because, I think part of that was a result of Japan shipping over to this country at that time, all those tinny looking toys that were, that wouldn't hold up. And, so I think they felt that Japan was not capable of sustaining a long war. And, well that didn't turn out to be true.

AI: Right. Well, it must have been a shock to you. Do you recall any thoughts or feelings, or reactions of your own when you found out that the bombing had happened?

KO: Well, it certainly, I, being Japanese, I was a little worried about what might happen. But one of the strange stories is that, they were forming wardens to patrol the area at night, the lights were off and everything. But I was approached by some neighbors to become the warden for our area and I thought, "Gosh oh Friday. They must have felt that I was not a danger to anybody." And, I think that was quite unique.

AI: They must have seen you as a fine upstanding citizen that they could trust.

KO: Well, I don't know. Or they needed somebody to do the job. [Laughs] But I declined, because I didn't want to be out there by myself walking around, because you just don't know what kind of situation you'd run into. But I thought it was kind of unusual that they would, at least, ask me.

AI: And especially since Raymond was a port city that had the international trade with Japan. And what about your folks, do you recall them talking at all about some of their concerns, or their thinking?

KO: No, I can't recall what their thinking was. But, I'm sure they were pretty upset and perhaps somewhat frightened too, wondering what was going to happen.

AI: And they must have had some links with their own relatives back in Japan, or maybe... well, maybe not. Do you know whether...?

KO: No, I don't think so. We had very little communication with the people in Japan.

Rebecca Walls: How did your father have the export business with Japan? Did he have some links just through business ties?

KO: Just through business ties. But here again, since he did not consult with us or tell us too much about his business, I don't know how that all came about. It just... it just happened. As far as I know.

RW: You mentioned once before that he was in business with his brother over there, and that they did work together for a little while, but then that didn't work out?

KO: Oh that was, his brother, he and his brother worked in Gurrier. And, like in many cases, the two brothers never got along. [Laughs] I think when Gurrier closed up, or whatever happened to the place, (his) brother went back to Japan, and he became quite wealthy back there. But they never, hardly communicated at all. That's unfortunate I think, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

AI: Well now, in this period after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, it sounds like some people were pretty confident that the war was going to be over very soon. And it sound like you really didn't experience any kind of negative reaction from your neighbors, or other townspeople in this period?

KO: No, I can only remember one kid saying something, every time I happened to pass by or something. Outside of that, never had any real problem.

AI: So you didn't feel like, most people, they weren't blaming you or your family?

KO: Well, hopefully not. But yeah, I didn't feel that they were. Why that would be, I don't know. 'Course maybe it was just because I stayed close to the people I knew, and the people who knew me. That makes quite a difference.

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.