<Begin Segment 9>

Q: What was the lesson of the camps, looking back?

CU: What is the lesson? Well, it all depends by what you mean by a lesson. I know that regardless of what people's feelings and what they're saying now, that things like this shouldn't happen, that it was wrong. If there were another war, it could happen again. I know people's feelings run high and fueled with a little propaganda, it could completely get out of hand. As for example, the Chinese boy that was mistaken for Japanese, he got bludgeoned to death. And then the court turned around and instead of putting these guys up for murder, they were let free with a very light sentence or a fine, weren't they? So regardless of what people say now, it's possible. It could happen again. I think in our particular case, we were very identifiable, being Oriental. As opposed to, say, a German or an Italian. So we were the ones that were picked. But it can happen again. There's no doubt about it in my mind. If and when it does, then perhaps if it involves, say, another ethnic background, they then would understand what we went through.

Q: Do you feel that you were scarred?

CU: That I was scarred?

Q: That you altered your life afterwards? Your view, your optimism?

CU: Well, I think it probably altered my life somewhat. Because most, most families really pushed their children, Japanese families pushed their children educationally-wise and career-wise. Of course, I think I just got to the point where I didn't care, you know. Until I got married and started to raise children, then I was concerned with the future of my children. As for myself, I don't know. Things might have been different. But who can say?

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 1983, 2010 Densho and Steven Okazaki. All Rights Reserved.