<Begin Segment 7>

HM: You're doing a wonderful job for someone who says he couldn't remember. [Laughs] How do you feel about the memorial that is happening now? What would you like to --

HC: That's, that's great. I've been on some of the meetings, but the, whatever the government, can't think of it now, but I wasn't in on any of the planning or anything like that, but I was just there in support, I guess. But there were some interesting meetings, and I've been to a couple events over there, even read a poem at one of these, one of these doings that had been written by, it'll come back to me, but the poem was entitled "The Saddest Day of My Life," and it was written by a younger sister of one of my classmates, Alice... but that was a nice affair. And I think one or two of these meetings was the ex governor, Chinese fellow, and one where the governor's husband stood up for her. But I haven't been over there for a while, but the bridges and the small buildings that they built were beautiful, beautifully built. And there's quite a road down into the property. I'll have to go over again here now, before too long.

HM: What would you like others to know about this period in history and how it has affected you, Bainbridge, and your Japanese American friends?

HC: I think I schooled my son pretty well, and my wives, so that they understood our friendships. I think it's probably advanced to the point where I feel like it, it'll be a must see place on Bainbridge Island for friends who come over. I'm not gonna ride over there today, but in the next week or two maybe I can get over there. Three weeks. I play at a jazz festival in two weeks, and that takes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Yeah. Paul Ohtaki, I mean Peter Ohtaki, he had quite a sense of humor, and I suppose ten or fifteen years ago my third wife went to work for him. She was in the travel business. She was blonde and cute and Peter liked cute blonde ladies. [Laughs] And she wanted to be, get in on his best side, so she asked him, "Are you from Tokyo, Mr. Ohtaki?" He says, "No, I'm from Ireland." "Ireland? With a name like Ohtaki?" He says, "Yeah, Bainbridge Ireland." [Laughs] I had run across him several times after war, one time in Anchorage. At the time he was selling freight for Northwest Airlines. Had him to dinner, it was a good meeting. Reeves Moran was also very friendly and visited, was it Sakuma, that had the farms up in Mount Vernon?

HM: The Sakumas.

HC: Yeah, Reeves would visit with them quite often. Reeves's widow lives on the far end of, what's the name of the road that goes north out of Rolling Bay?

HM: Is that Madison you're talking about?

HC: No.

HM: Up north, oh, Sunrise Drive?

HC: Yeah. She lives off of that, has a nice view of the, she's not doing too well right now. Amazing girl, one of the great caregivers of the world.

Off camera: So Hal, you served in, during some of the great battles in the Pacific against the Japanese on this, this radio ship.

HC: Yeah.

Off camera: Did you tell anybody at the time that you had friends who were Japanese American?

HC: Yeah, I think I did. I knew they weren't out there, so I have, I may have gotten word somehow that some of them were serving as interpreters and so forth. That's about it.

HM: I think you did a wonderful job.

HC: Thank you.

HM: Yes, just excellent.

Off camera: Is there anything else you want to say?

HC: Thanks for the opportunity.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.