<Begin Segment 13>

DG: Now Lucy wants to know, why, after the war, did farming not get back to where it was before the war. Why, what happened to farming because of the war?

AS: I think, I think myself, is when, when they were here, everybody before the war was started, everybody had a big family, right? So, depending on the family, it was good that everybody was together. If they, if you was working in Boeing or somethin', it's gone, right? This way the family is together all the time. And that's, I think that was one of the good points on farming. But to have the big money, no. I mean, even today, farming, it's a rough go. You ask all them guys, even Brian, you know Brian, that guy that raises all that vegetable? He's a big-time vegetable grower. Even him, it's... you gotta work. He found that out, too. [Laughs]

DG: So how did the war affect families? You said before the war families were very close-knit and together...

AS: They were close, they're close together, because they all worked together and harvested. You know what I mean? The whole family. Then after the war they kind of... the kids went out and worked in Seattle and it was all, it was not a real farming family anymore. I mean, just like Nishimoris, you know. They had how many, they had five girls in that family, and one boy or somethin'. They all worked in Seattle, right? That's where the difference was. Otherwise, it would have been here harvesting strawberry, weeding it, and...

DG: So do you think being in the camps for up to four years...

AS: The what?

DG: Do you think that because these families were in the internment camps for up to four years, that sort of broke the families apart, or allowed kids to...

AS: I, I think you're right, I think it kind of broke it apart, yeah. Otherwise they would have been more closer together, I think. I don't know, I can't tell ya. But, I don't know, when the family is together more, it's more better, isn't it? More environmental... it's better, isn't it? I mean, that's what I think. I don't know.

DG: Because even in camps, did you eat with your family or did you eat with your friends?

AS: The what?

DG: In the camp, in internment camp, like at Manzanar, did you eat with your family or did you eat with friends?

AS: No, we eat in a big mess hall. You know, the big mess hall, and everybody went there. When the bell rang, everybody lined up and went in there and... it's like army camp. You know what I mean? It's same principle.

DG: How did it change your family?

AS: Huh?

DG: How did the war change your family specifically? What happened to your brothers and sisters because of the war?

AS: My family, what?

DG: How did the war change your family?

AS: Oh, I don't know. I can't really answer that one. It kinda spread out, too. I mean, I only had one brother that wanted to farm. The rest of 'em didn't want to farm. One of 'em worked in a post office, the other one farmed a little bit. But it takes money to farm today. You know, I mean, it takes a lot of money. Remember a long time ago you just had a wheelbarrow and a rake and you're in the farming business. But today, it's altogether different. That's it.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.