Manzanar, Calif.

November 20, 1943

Dear Joe & Towru,

Sorry I didn't get a letter mailed out to you last week but I'll make up for it right now.

Next week is Thanksgiving and I can hardly wait for it. We really are going to have turkey. Isn't that nice! Yep, with all of its trimmings. I guess you should have waited Towru. Now you'll miss your turkey.

We will get vacation starting on the 24th till the next week. Gee am I glad to get school off of my mind for a little while.

Thanks for the post card & letter, which we enjoyed.

Gee, you quit your job! how terrible. Did you get one yet? Hope you do.

Yad, Yach's brother came back but that doesn't mean a thing to me. I'd rather see you guys.

Joe, how about giving me some of your beautiful white skin & let me give you some tan?

Towru, since Joe has changed a lot you take care of him huh. Don't fight. I don't know if Manzanar will be evacuated but there are chances because if this camp is expensive we will have to evacuate. So Mr. Merritt is keeping all of the expenses as low as he can and making everything so that no expenses go high. The Tulelakers have to go yet so I still can't say if evacuation is coming as yet.

The other day papa brought home 2 honey dews that were about 1/2 the size of the ones you used to bring home, and really it tasted loucious.

Hungry for a honey dew?

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Nope, we don't need any stuff so its okays. Don't spend too much huh!

Joe, you sure are taking a lot of courses this year huh. Take it easy. Its too bad you might have to quit your job but I guess you'll have to take it more easy for studies.

Yeh, snow huh. Snowed on the mountains all week & everyone was just freezing especially me. Yesterday we had a light drizzle after lunch.

Pictures, yahoo, I can hardly wait. I sure would like to see you guys together. Did you buy a camera?

School is a bore to me as I go daily. I am hoping that I can finish soon or relocate soon. Mrs. Takemura wrote to mom and pop & said you went over her place & had ebi no tempura with mase meshi. Was it good? She also asked us to go out there & said Herby was having a wonderful time as the class president.

At school my gym class is in the lead for the volley ball team & if we beat a picture of the team will be put in the annual which is being made. Swell huh! Also a assembly was held & a soldier came & talked about his trip to Attu & Kiska but couldn't talk about the war part which has a lot of good information. This soldier was the brother of Henry Tsurutani who is Jimmy Tsurutani. I'll tell you some of the things which he said.

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It was 24 hrs before I was leaving for my destination which I did not know. I kissed my wife goodbye & left. They took us on a liberator & gave us all different warm articles that were needed. We got to our destination which was Attu & it was very cold with the wind blowing 80 miles an hour. Our food which was not good consisted of powdered milk powdered potatoe & other powdered articles. The food wasn't good at all & everybody wanted fresh food. On our boat there was a sudden rock as if the ship had been torpedoed but just hitting a big wave a can of corn beef hit my head & I got a big scar on my head & I was the first casualty to get injured. Our ship had come to its end & everybody got off. Many of us got chill burns because we had been trained in a desert & it was too sudden to go out into the cold area. If we didn't wear certain kinds of shoes, our feet would freeze & everytime you tried to take off your stockings, all of the skin would be frozen to the soxs & your skin would come off with your soxs. I didn't get a chance to flirt with any eskimo girls because if you keep on going around with a certain eskimo girl you must marry her. Its the tribal custom. Eskimo's look very much like nisei's & often you think they are niseis. One day I was looking at an eskimo & thinking gee he sure looks like a nisei but I bet he was thinking gee he sure looks like an eskimo.

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The Japanese had abandoned a lot of rice, fish, Japanese pickles. We ate that stuff & it was really better than that powdered food. The capt. didn't like it & every time he would say, that stuff again. By the time we were ready to go home the capt. said gee that rice is pretty good. They said the Japanese had left some of their wounded (9) and they were left because of the hurry of evacuation of the Japanese soldiers. One day they told us, they think were going home & so get ready & pack but the next day they said nope unpack & then the next day they said pack & it was 2 weeks continuous like that & finally when they said your going for sure I jumped with joy.

Well, thats his story said briefly by me. Interesting huh. It reminds me this morning when I was at the block office I heard a big airplane so I rushed out to see it & up in the air was a huge liberator which landed in that airport across the highway. Gee it sure is a giant thing.

Last night I went to the show and saw the picture "The Magnificent Dope" with Henry Fonda, Don Amechi and Lynn Bari. Corny picture. The last two pictures were better but there was a lot of propaganda in in but it really interested me more than any thing else. Have you been to any of the shows lately?

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Towru, Moma got 1 skein of yarn from Mrs. Higa & she has already put your stripe on & its sure getting pretty. It won't be long before she gets it done. She only has 7 more inches to go. Happy day huh! Joe, Mom is planning to make you one too. Swell huh. Mama is writing a letter to you so I guess this is all.

Just

Masako

P.S. Don't forget to answer all my questions. If I get any more ideas I'll add a little more to this letter.

Aiji would like to hear from you Towru.

We sent your clothing but for got to stick in Moma's picture, but if you really want it badly tell me.