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DG: Now we're going to jump ahead, beyond childhood, about maybe, to the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. And I'd like you to try to think back to that day. Tell me about where you were, what you remember, feelings, even things you remember your family was going through, your parents and your older siblings. That sort of thing.

MW: Well, what I remember about that day is... 'course, I told you that I had older sisters -- and so we had visitors there that day that were soldiers from Fort Lewis. And it just so happened that they were there and then of course we heard on the radio what had happened and, and I don't think we were ever thinking that anything like that would happen. And I think we were just shocked. And so, you know, you don't do anything but listen to the radio for quite a long time, just listening to everything that they're telling us. And never thought that anything else would, would bother us as far as having to move out or anything like that. I don't think we gave that a second thought, at least I didn't. Maybe they did, but I didn't. 'Cause I was younger and they probably were more serious about everything like that.

DG: And I'm curious about the soldiers. Why were the soldiers, were they visiting as friends? Or...

MW: They were just visiting, yeah. Because my sisters used to go into Seattle and they'd be, you know, go to different parties and things like that and they probably talked to people who said there were people like that, that would like to come and visit. So, so they had come to visit that day. It was different for them to come to the island, I guess, than being in Seattle. Anytime you have older sisters, that's what would happen.

DG: And do you recall, was there any tension after you all received the news of the bombing, between the soldiers and your family? Or...

MW: No, I think that they were told that they had to go back right away. And, and I think they, they were joking around and saying, "Well, we were stuck way out in the country so maybe we won't be able to get back." [Laughs] But, that's the only thing that I can remember. And hopefully that... my memory is good for that. But I wouldn't swear by it, but I think that's the way, that's what I remember. And so we just go from there.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.