<Begin Segment 18>

DG: How do you feel about your country today?

FH: Country today? I hope the war ends and be peaceful. I hate these young men going to the war. It's not good for the ones -- I know, because when my son, after he went in the service, it changed him completely. He, I don't know, he didn't want to talk about it. So I think I know what they're going through, and it, to see someone get hurt right in front of you or something is something you can never forget. It's not good for the young men. I don't want draft at all. I don't know. It's really... it's not good. I don't, I don't like war anyway. Nobody do, nobody do. I don't know who decides, the politicians, you can't blame it on the President alone, but I do. But there must be more, more than we think. It's bad. I want everybody to come home and have their nice family atmosphere. I know, we all suffer, not only the son, but the whole family. Your life is different when somebody's in the service. You worry all the time, every time the phone rings you wonder what... it made a difference for us. But I guess he could have, he came back wounded, but it could be that he could have died then. But you don't want to think about it. Yeah, it ended up bad for him, but I think he died of cancer but he could have been dead when he went to Vietnam. He could have come back dead, too, instead of just being wounded. So I don't know. I want this whole world to be peaceful.

DG: Well, you're helping, you're helping by sharing your stories, it's important. You're doing a...

FH: It's important to have a happy life. Still living, anyway.

DG: Is there anything else you want add at the end here about the memorial or other memories?

FH: Well, I intend to help them again. Have a nice, I hope our dream comes true.

DG: What's your dream?

FH: Get the memorial started. All the grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow up to be good citizens. They all are right now, just like your boys, our boys. I like to look forward and then I'd like to live long and see that, see them. I just, I don't know. I'm living now, but who knows? Nobody knows. But we wish for peaceful, happy life. I think I'm lucky. Yeah, I'm the luckiest, and I'm the luckiest, I'm proud of you all, all my relatives are doing so well. Keep going, keep growing, yes. Thank you for taking care of me, they all take care of me. I'm spoiled. And even today, took me to the ferry and meet me this end. They even took me to the, on the ferry, took my bag. I am lucky, I am lucky. I am lucky; I am happy. Thanks to you and everybody else. I think I'm most fortunate, I have nothing to worry about, just myself.

DG: We're lucky. [Laughs]

FH: Yeah, I think lucky.

<End Segment 18> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.