<Begin Segment 6>

DG: Do you remember back before the war, did the Japanese American farmers work together? Did you help each other out? Or...

AS: Uh-huh.

DG: How did you...

AS: Yeah, they really helped each other out. Yeah, they did. I mean, you had your hardship in the family. If you lost a family, kid, or somethin', they really came out and helped. That's, that's amazing. You don't, they don't do that today, see. And every, nobody was really rich. But, they, they... when you get that many families, you're, and even if they give you a dollar, it's a big help at that time, you know what I mean. I lost a brother at nine years old, and I kinda remember that. I mean... so it was six in the, it was seven or eight, but one of 'em, one of 'em passed away at nine years old. And I'm lucky; I'm the oldest. I lost a brother at fifty-three? Sixty-three, seventy-two. I lost three of 'em already. And I'm the oldest, dumbest farmer. You know what I mean? They all worked in the office. I mean... but that ain't the answer, is it?

DG: Can you tell me about what happened to your nine-year-old brother?

AS: The what?

DG: The, your brother that died at nine years old? What happened?

AS: That happened this way?

DG: No, yeah, how did... tell me about how your brother died, the young one, at nine years old.

AS: I don't know what happened to him. The doctors weren't up to date on a lotta things at that time, and families did lose kids, you know what I mean. And I don't know what happened to him. He got sick and he was gettin' better and all of a sudden that was gone. I mean... he was, I don't know what really was wrong. It was, it was something wrong because he didn't gain weight or nothing and was skinny, and he didn't eat right. I don't know. And then I had two brothers already that had a heart attack. And I had a sister that passed away. She was seventy... she's seventy-four, somethin' like that. But I thought she would live longer than that. But, you know, she didn't drink or smoke or nothin'. It makes a difference, but I don't know. That all now?

DG: You're doing great. [Laughs] I want to learn more.

AS: What, ain't that enough information?

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.