<Begin Segment 9>

FK: Now, how did you end up in Chicago?

GN: Where did I live?

FK: How did you end up in Chicago?

GN: Oh, I left, I left Chicago after I left Caldwell, that was 1943. My brother-in-law was a doctor, and he worked for the Cook County Hospital, and he was a surgeon there. And I lived with them for about a few months, and then I worked at the meat market by the Northwestern College. It was about 15 miles north of Chicago. I left there about after about six months, and I went to Naperville, worked in a mushroom plant. I worked there until the war ended, and it was predominantly a German town.

And when I hit Chicago after I left Caldwell, I was real comfortable, 'cause didn't notice me, they were so busy. And like I said, I went to Naperville, and predominately a German town, we used to talk with the kids there, and they lived, they would tell their experiences, their uncles' experiences during World War I, how they were treated. And they had their homes burned down and stuff. We got to be real close to those kids. And the war ended there, and I hopped on a plane, and it took me about thirteen hours to get home. And I met, I met a reverend sitting next to me on the plane, and he knew Reverend Hirakawa. And I think we were flying over Montana or Idaho, and a beautiful sunset. And I mentioned the sunset, and he mentioned, he says, he says, "So many, many people believe in the sunset, but don't believe in God." When I got back to Seattle, Coleman Dock, my very good friend, Reese Moran, he met me at Coleman Dock. And coming back to Bainbridge, that's where my, I was born and raised, so it was nice to get back. And I didn't experience any haiseki, haiseki meaning "discrimination," and I remember Reese's dad, he raised his kids 'cause his wife was in the, was in the hospital. And he invited Moe and I to dinner one night. That was just a few weeks after we got back, so the anti feeling was still there. Later on, I heard comments about, "Moran invited two Jap kids." But it didn't bother me. This is where my, I grew up, and grew up with all these kids I knew.

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.