<Begin Segment 22>

DC: So what about the rest of you, do you think that having to leave California made a lasting impression on you?

MM: Hmm?

DC: Would you say that having to leave California made a lasting impression on you or had a long-term effect on you?

MM: No, no. I was coming home, my folks were here and my sister... no, my brother wasn't here, he was in school.

DC: How about you, Evelyn?

ET: No, I've always been happy regardless. The war was bad but then you can't dwell on it.

MM: The only thing about her, she lost her husband too early, I think. He passed away. That's what I...

ET: Well, no, it's just that, if I hadn't lived this long it would be...

CM: She's the fortunate one, she know how to stay happy, you know.

MM: Well, she got Stevie and he's a great guy.

DC: You all have kids right?

ET: I do, but they don't. I have two boys and a girl.

MM: But you know something, I've got nieces that call us Grandma, Grandpa -- no, Uncle.

CM: They call her Grandma and they call me Uncle, how do you like that difference? [Laughs]

DC: [Laughs] That's funny.

[Interruption]

DC: How do you feel now when you look back at what happened to your families during the war?

MM: You know, I don't think about it. It doesn't bother me. No, it doesn't.

ET: Why worry?

MM: Exactly.

ET: You know, why worry about it, it's already passed.

CM: Yeah, it's over, we survived, here we are.

DC: Do you hold any grudge?

ET: Well, he has more to probably because of the camp, but with us coming out here was a little different I think.. Because we've talked to different people that's been in camp that were not very happy, so must have been hard for them.

DC: Charlie, how do you feel about it now?

CM: Well, I feel grateful that I'm going to be ninety-two next week and I feel pretty good. I'm thankful for that. I didn't think I was going to live this long and I gained over fifty years. I thought I'd be gone in mid-forties.

MM: You know, it's funny, when you hit ninety, you think, oh my gosh what a blessing, really. You wait 'til you hit ninety, it's a blessing.

CM: Every day is a bonus and a blessing and we're enjoying it.

DC: How long did it take you to get to this point where you were not angry about Manzanar? I don't want to put words in your mouth, maybe you were never angry, but...

CM: Well, all your angry part is before the war when all the, not only us, all the Japanese established and they're living comfortably, and the war broke out and you lose everything what you put in, the setback, and we have to recover and work back to that position. When you get to that point, you get mad and angry.

DC: How do you feel like your life would have been different if that hadn't happened?

CM: Well, it should have been better than what it is, that you have that much a head start because no interruption. But we have to start from scratch. All of them have to, 120,000 had to start from scratch from the floor up again. That was a big sacrifice we had to put in, and that, when you think of that, it hurts.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright © 2012 New Mexico JACL and Densho. All Rights Reserved.