<Begin Segment 6>

FK: Were you going to high school at the same time?

IY: Yes. Let's see. The high school we went there... yes, the same time. Right, it's the same time, right. I don't recall how we divided that school and the... oh, on the school we didn't have to go all day 'cause we had to take three subject, two subject. I think it was in the morning. In the afternoon, that's when we, in the afternoon we worked in the, in the camouflage section. Yeah. And the same thing at Minidoka. I needed only one credit, which was English, and that was only one hour and the rest of the time I was working as a coal crew, coal crew truck driver in Minidoka. That's where we go off the base and load the truck with coal and bring it in and deliver it to all the mess halls. That was a messy job. Shoveling coal, you're just black. It was hot then too. Those gondola, when you're inside of it, it's pretty hot. We finally, they finally issued us a steam shovel type of crane so they could just... instead of us just shoveling it into the truck you get that crane and pick it up and then dump it in the truck. It was hard work. I worked that for quite a while until I got a notice from Uncle Sam. There were two of us that got...

FK: You were drafted?

IY: Drafted. Yeah. Hideaki Nakamura is one of them, and he was from Bainbridge Island, and me... while we were in camp. We says, "Golly. Here we get put in camp and here we got a draft card." It's kind of, unique. It's... you probably never think you'll get one, especially in camp. 'Cause a lot of people kind of wasn't too happy about it. 'Cause, because of the fence and the sentry... you couldn't do anything but they want you and lot of 'em didn't agree with it. I guess some did turn down, but us two, we said, "Well, how else are we gonna get out?" After we found out when we got the card, it was almost for sure that we gonna be in service. They said with that card we can go out the gate. Outside the gate you have the military compound there and they have PX. And they said we can go visit there. So that wasn't too bad. All this commotion they had about "yes" and "nos"... we figured we're gonna... I don't know. I like the service I was thinking about the service when I was a kid anyway. I thought well, here's an opportunity. We'll agree and sign it.

FK: When did that questionnaire come? Were you in Manzanar or Minidoka?

IY: That was in Minidoka...

FK: ... you were in Minidoka...

IY: Yeah, I think when we were in Manzanar, Minidoka yeah. 'Cause they had quite a commotion on that.

FK: There were people that were for it and against it?

IY: Yeah, there were some for it, yeah, but... I'd say almost half was against it.

FK: Really?

IY: Yeah. After they started realizing the situation, some of 'em, most of 'em decided, "Let's say yes." Like me, I signed the "yes" already, before arguing. This is one way to get out of camp.

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