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FK: Now, you said, you said your, your older brother was also drafted at the same time?

TO: Yeah. No, he was earlier...

FK: Oh, before...

TO: Before, earlier. We were all put in the medics at that time. And my brother, he went to Fort, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and he stayed there for the rest of the war along with the Okazaki boys and Mas Yamashita. We were all there.

FK: Now, was your younger brother, end up in the service, too?

TO: Yeah, my... the other brother too, Mas. He, he served in the 442, overseas. My younger brother, Sada, he, I don't know when he got drafted, maybe '45. He went to MIS, and then he went to occupation in Japan and Korea.

FK: So, there were... were there four of you in the war?

TO: Yes, there was four of us in the army.

FK: Now, while you were in the army, what was happening with your mother then?

TO: Well, I didn't know where they went, when I went to Minnesota. So I contacted Red Cross and they told me there, they looked it up. You know, at that time they're... I guess they were in, on a train to Manzanar, or at Manzanar, or somethin'. They finally got to me, back to me, and told me where my mother was, mother and two brothers. I, I was kinda worried where they were. But seemed...

FK: So, did, did your mother stay in camp when all four of you were in the army then?

TO: Yes, my mother stayed all that time. She didn't, she transferred to Minidoka when there... you know, people wanted to go.

FK: So, did you ever try to visit your mom in...

TO: Yes, I tried to visit earlier, but, you know, they wouldn't let us go. So I visited my brother, brother in Texas, you know, he was in the service. It was kind of a shock then, you know. There was two fountain, "colored" and "white." You didn't know which fountain to drink water in or go into the restroom. So I went to where it says "white," but it was okay.

FK: Now, how how did you... how were you able to get into camp to visit your mother, then? Was it hard to do, or...

TO: What was that?

FK: How did you, how were you able to get into camp to visit your mother, then?

TO: Well, later on, when it opened up... you know, I was in station hospital in Camp Trotter, and they had... people who wanted to visit a certain area, we signed up and if there was a patient to be discharged we kinda took 'em along, I mean, watched him over and discharge him. One went to Grandview, Washington, and I took one to Walla Walla because he had tuberculosis, I think. And from there I took a short leave to Minidoka to visit.

FK: So, so what did you, what did you think when you got to Minidoka and went into Minidoka? Did you have any thoughts or feelings about finding your mother there?

TO: No, you know, I had only a short stay there en route, so, we just see my mother. I was happy. I didn't get to do much there, but, I noticed the condition there. I think it wasn't type of the... part of the day that was miserable, but it was a pretty clear day. And I just enjoyed my visit and then went back. I went there twice, I believe. Different times escorted a prison-, I mean, a patient home.

FK: Now, so did you already own your place that you, your family lived?

TO: Yes.

FK: And who, and who looked after your home when you were gone then?

TO: Do you remember Jack Marshall? He was, kinda took care of the place. There was a Puerto Rican family livin' in it. And so when I came back one time... just kinda surprised them, you know, visited them. And bunch of kids there, lookin' down there, you know, they never seen us people. [Laughs] They pointing out, "There's a Jap" or something like that, there.

<End Segment 4> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.