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TI: Any other memories about the Japanese American community and growing up with that around the troop? Any interesting incident or event or just memory?

RK: I mean, again, there were just so many different things we did in terms of camping and the drum and bugle corps. One thing I can remember is we used to participate in the Chinese New Year parade, and inevitably, some years, it would be, the rain would be coming down and we'd be marching through Chinatown. It would be pretty chaotic. But it's a good memory, though.

TI: Was there anything about, in terms of values that you got through, the Japanese American Boy Scout experience that was sort of unique or different than what you got from your neighborhood or your church or your family? I mean, is there something kind of unique or interesting about that Japanese American troop experience?

RK: No... I mean, just thinking back, I guess it would be during the baseball practices. They were pretty, the coaches were pretty intense with the kids, and wanting us to really hustle and try. Which is, I guess, what most coaches would do. But it just seemed like they were pretty intense about that. And you have to really try your best, and that you need to, that the team is depending on you and that kind of thing.

TI: Now, as a baseball team, did you play other Japanese American teams, or was it a mixed league?

RK: It was other Japanese American teams. So we would play teams in Mountain View and Concord and Berkeley, throughout the Bay Area.

TI: Okay, good.

Tom Izu: Richard, you went all the way through Scouts, right? Were you an Eagle Scout?

RK: Yes, I did, yeah.

Tom Izu: From the very beginning all the way to the end?

RK: Yeah.

TI: And was that pretty common in your troop, for people to reach Eagle Scout?

RK: Yeah. I mean, our troop, that troop really pushed the kids to move up the ranks to become Eagle, so we had quite a few Eagle Scouts in the troop.

TI: And how did that compare with the other Japanese American troops?

RK: You know, I don't know that. I'm not sure. I just know that in our particular troop that there were quite a few guys that eventually made it up to that level.

TI: Was it, was it a higher percentage than just your normal Boy Scout troop, for your troop members to reach Eagle Scout?

RK: I think so, yeah. I think so. I just can remember we used to go up summer camp near the Russian River, it was called Camp Royaneh, and we would be wearing our merit badge thing. And it seemed like we had a lot of merit badges, and some of the troops didn't have as many.

TI: No, it's interesting, because in Seattle, there are Sansei guys I meet, and the number of Eagle Scouts is pretty high.

RK: Uh-huh.

TI: It's surprising that, with other groups, when I talk to them, I mean, it's pretty rare to find an Eagle Scout. But amongst Sanseis, there's quite a few. I'm just curious about that. Okay.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.