<Begin Segment 13>

SO: But anyway, no, but I'll go down take a look at the memorial because I think the memorial should be an emotional experience. It ought to really, as an art form, cause one to think about what happened, not the question of how many were on the boat or not on the boat, or how many were, not that kind of statistical analysis, but more than that, as you approach it, does it create in you a different sense of being? I can think of the one in Portland, which has these huge steps and images, it's too pictorial in a way, but I like the idea because it allows for everyone who walks by there, of these various incidents in the lives of the Nisei. It doesn't have to be like that, but it happened to be one of the, I think, better ones that people can relate to, and maybe in the case of the, our situation, and the memorial, you and, I think, everyone else connected with it would want to make it demand attention, saying, like, "I am here, this is what happened, now get with it." It can't be too peaceful so that it begins to lose its intent. It should be good enough for today. It should be good enough the day after tomorrow. The same experience ought to be in the minds of those who see it. Now, I happen to be far removed physically from this and this place, but this place means a lot to me. But, but anyway, the memorial, as I understand it, includes not only the names, but other images, which may, in some ways, be a conglomeration of the Iwo Jima image in Washington or others that begin to become so concrete that it tells a story, because that's what the story that you want to deal with here. You want to deal with people who come ten years later saying, what's that? Oh, that's a monument. Monument to what? See, are, are we talking about some grand, glorious unknown field that we've discovered or what? Maybe it's more simple. Maybe it's simply a matter of allowing people to incorporate this into their thinking, so I think that there's, I'll let you know about the, about the memorial because it's been going on for I don't know how many years.

FK: Yeah.

SO: But it's also a good end. It's better to wait and be deliberative about your decision, rather than making a snap judgment and then it loses its luster, because there is, see, nothing like this has happened in the scale that it's happened and this is the opportunity to tell everyone what it's all about. And I think that's what we're about.

FK: Okay. Is there anything else you'd like to add or say before you...

SO: [Laughs] Well, maybe I'll, maybe I'll save some for the end first. I'd just like to thank the, this'll be a meaningful monument to everyone, and it just happened to be based on the Japanese. It's only incidental. It could happen to anyone, and I think the important thing is that we at least respect, and I guess that, at least for me, that's kind of a key word, respect one another and make it meaningful. Don't just say, oh yeah, we paid them off, it's a free world. Because it simply then denies the meaning of what we're about.

[Interruption]

FK: It sounds like one of the things we want to do with the memorial is make it really relevant to today, so are there any things along that line that you, it sounds like that's exactly what you're talking about, so is there anything else you'd like to add to that?

SO: Well, I guess I have admire and look at these little kids, and I mean little kids like you were a little kid, about Don's age, in camp, and your siblings and other relatives, I think one of the more interesting -- this is a kind of isolated thing I think of -- soon after the war ended I happened to come back here, to the island, and I remember rather distinctly when the old Bainbridge Gardens was in operation, and there were a lot of little kids like yourself, probably seven- or eight-year-olds. I thought to myself, these are kids who just love life. There's some kind of exuberance about what they were about as they were crawling around, pumping gas or what have you, I don't know what it was, but I, that little scene is something that for me said this is the young generation. We have to at least listen to their voice. Now, unfortunately, when I see it in reverse, if we were more active as Niseis, maybe that's the kind of lesson we should preach to the, to our youngsters. I know I said earlier that if you had had a package of Niseis who had a broad range of experiences and were able to combat the actual incarceration, I think that's true, but also we need the young blood. The young ones are the ones who carry it on. At my position, as a Nisei, I'm probably getting fewer and fewer in number, and so that, somebody has to take over, and I just see this as an opportunity, and I'm glad that the memorial is coming to be. I know that's one thing that Jerry really loved, and that is the fruition of the, of the monument, and I hope that they get rid of the creosote plants soon enough so we can do it. [Laughs]

FK: Good. Thank you.

SO: You're welcome.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.