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MA: So let's talk about December 7, 1941, the day that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. What are your memories of that day and hearing the news of what happened?

MY: Yeah. I was, that was early in the morning of December 7th, so I hadn't gone to school yet. And I always took a breakfast tray up to Mrs. Buxton, Buxton was her name. She stayed in bed, so I took the tray up to her. And the news was on and so she called me and says, "Mary, come here, listen to this on the radio." She says, "There's a bombing, Pearl Harbor, by the Japanese." She was, she was really upset, which was totally out of her character. She reached over hugged me and she says, "I hope they don't take you away from me." I don't know what was going through her mind at that point, and I didn't realize what was happening either. But that was the first reaction after the bombing. And then things developed after that. All the planning that must have been going on is mind boggling, actually.

MA: You mean on the part of the government?

MY: Uh-huh, uh-huh.

MA: Well, what about when you went to school the next day or that week? Did you notice a change in the way people treated you or looked at you?

MY: I don't remember that, but I remember our Nisei group getting together and we were all concerned. And everybody was exchanging notes that they got from their families at home wondering what was gonna happen. And so we were just kind of tossing around what would be happening to us.

MA: Were there rumors about some sort of removal or some sort of internment at all?

MY: Not at that point, until we started getting notices. That's when we realized that it was serious. And we just, and families back home were evidently getting notices of some kind that they were going to be evacuated. So then things really got heated up. So we met quite frequently, I guess, to exchange ideas that came from home and our thoughts. So we got closer together as far as communication and predicting the future and all that kind of thing.

MA: But the other, the sort of white students at Oregon State --

MY: At the school.

MA: How did they, how was the relationship with them after Pearl Harbor? Was there any problem?

MY: I don't, I don't even remember having any problems. I don't think they really realized at that stage that we would even be involved, you know. So I didn't see any reaction or anything.

MA: And it sounds like the woman you worked for was supportive of, wanted to support you.

MY: Yeah, yeah. And she, I guess she must have had some forethought about possibilities that could happen if something like this... she was an intelligent woman.

MA: Were you able to communicate with the Yokotas at that point through letters? Or what were the Yokotas kind of saying about Medford?

MY: No, I don't think I had any kind of contact with them, or communication. I don't recall any. 'Cause the next time I ever saw them was in the camp. And my younger sister was with them, so as soon as I got into camp I wanted to find her. So that's when I found out that... actually, we were pretty close as far as living in the camp was concerned.

<End Segment 5> - Copyright ©2009 Densho and the Twin Cities JACL. All Rights Reserved.