Densho Digital Archive
Steven Okazaki Collection
Title: Chico Uyeda Interview
Narrator: Chico Uyeda
Location: San Francisco, California
Date: December 8, 1983
Densho ID: denshovh-uchico-01-0002

<Begin Segment 2>

Q: Can you describe the evacuation?

CU: The evacuation, we were given two weeks to get rid of all our belongings, car, furniture, house property, whatever we had. We had bought a brand-new 1941 Dodge at that time, which would be unheard of today. The total price was thirteen hundred dollars. And we were forced to let it go, we paid cash, let it go for about fifty dollars. There were refrigerators that were brand new that we sold for two dollars, bedroom sets, brand-spanking-new, that we let go at a ridiculous price. And then the army sent these trucks, bobtails, and we were allowed to carry two suitcases. And we were picked up by these trucks and taken to the assembly center. We had moved from L.A. to Fresno Central Valley, because we had heard that by being on the east side of Highway 99, we wouldn't be incarcerated. But as it turned out, everybody within California.

So when we took, when they took us to the camp, I looked, and there was a double row of barbed wires with guard towers. And I looked at all that and I thought, my god, is this happening? And the camp was exactly what you would see in a movie, there were barracks with two, four, six rooms, not much larger than this, I would say, oh, maybe another seven, eight feet that way. But, oh, another seven feet that way. Now regardless of whether the family had four or ten, you had that one apartment. The barracks were built like this, it was number three uncured lumber covered with tarpaper. So the wall just came up to here, which meant that there was absolutely no privacy for anyone in there.

When we disembarked from the bobtail, we were made to go single file, strip, and as you walked through this barrack door, there was an MP on either side, a stranger with some kind of chemical powder, I don't know what it was, DDT or whatever. Then they opened up our suitcases, they confiscated anything that was made out of metal, spoon, forks, belt buckles, girls had earrings and anything like that, anything that was made out of metal. Then you were given a number of the barrack that you were assigned to. There were twelve barracks to each block. Each block was surrounded by about a 5 or 6 foot ditch completely surrounding it. The cots, you got a bag that was filled with straw for a mattress. And it was very poor conditions, but what with the not knowing what was going to happen, you know, you didn't even think about things like that. I know my parents were worried about what would happen to me and my sister. As far as the folks were concerned, they felt that they were already old, had lived a life and really didn't much care. You know, they were more concerned for the children than anything else. It's kind of a demeaning thing to happen. In camp, you had a 6 o'clock curfew just like on the outside. The MPs were out patrolling with dogs. If anyone had to go to the bathroom, you had to call out, at which time they would tie up the dogs, then they would accompany you.

[Interruption]

Q: You told me the last time about the MPs having to follow the women to the bathroom. Can you describe those kind of things?

CU: Yeah, if you had to go to the bathroom, you had to call out The MPs would then take a check on the dogs and they would accompany you to the bathroom and sit there and watch while you did your thing, or it didn't make any difference whether you were a man or a woman. Which was very, I think, very embarrassing for the woman. When you were through, they brought you back, they locked the door and the dogs were released again. The bathroom in itself was quite a deal, it was... you might say it was a double row of benches. Four holes cut into it lengthwise, at one end, you had a very large tin bucket with water constantly dripping. The underneath, right underneath the holes, it was a galvanized metal in a v-form, okay. Then, what we found out -- this a little comical there -- but when the water filled up and the bucket would tip, the water would splash down and up. Consequently, the first two seats next to the bucket, whoever was sitting there would have to stand up, otherwise you're gonna get splashed. [Laughs] There were times when, later on, when boys would get together and we would sit on those benches and play poker at the same time.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 1983, 2010 Densho and Steven Okazaki. All Rights Reserved.