<Begin Segment 6>

HM: All right. Now, what do you think is the importance of what we're trying to do here now?

YT: Well, you know, we've forgotten a lot of things, and at the time, our parents, or my father never discussed evacuation as such, I don't know why, but we never asked questions either, but now, I do think it's real important. We've forgotten a lot of things but just recently, I was talking to Yosh Nakagawa and he was telling us how important it really was to get all this recorded and put into the archives and all that kind of thing, and so I believe him. I think it's important and like I say, we waited too long so lot of things are lost, you know, we don't remember. But then the younger kids don't know too much. even if we tell them, they can't believe it. So if it goes into... I've collected a lot of these articles on evacuation, and what the President had to say, I'm hoping that my grandkids would read all that and learn from it. I got a collection of those things that I've clipped that I have to do something with.

HM: So what would you like to say to the visitors who come to this memorial?

YT: What would I say to those people that come to the memorial? Well, I don't know, but I think it's very important, you know. Like the memorial that they are building over there at the Eagle Harbor site, I think it's a tribute to the Isseis, and they really mean a lot to them I think, and I'm glad they are doing it. Someday, I think it will mean something to all the Sansei and the Yonseis.

HM: And what about the rest of the populace?

YT: Rest of the what?

HM: What about the rest of the people? People who are not Yonseis, Sanseis?

YT: I don't know.

HM: Non-Japanese people

YT: Non-Japanese? Well, there's quite a few that's interested. And I've noticed when I do come over to the island, the first time they had this meeting on this memorial thing, I noticed some of my classmates were there, so I think they're interested and I'm sure they would back us up, a lot of this historical stuff.

HM: What do you want the visitors to take home with them when they visit the memorial? What do you want them to learn or feel or see or...

YT: What do you want them to take home? Well, I think when they tour the memorial, you can't help but realize the importance of it, so I think they're going to learn a lot from it, and they will remember because they are part of it. The older ones would know what we went through, the younger ones will be learning more as the older ones pass and the story goes. They are carried on by the younger ones. I think it will mean something to them.

HM: Let's say someone came from Massachusetts or some other place in the country, and came to visit the memorial, what would you like them to learn from this?

YT: Well, they would know what we went through, and I think to know that there's a memorial for that, would give them a lasting impression of what we went though at the time, and I think that should be important and I think they would appreciate seeing something like that.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2007 Densho. All Rights Reserved.