Densho Digital Archive - Arthur Ogami - Kimi Ogami Interview (denshovh-oarthur

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AL: So when you proposed to Kimi, were you thinking then that you were going to spend your life in Japan or had you already decided to come back to the States?

AO: No, I had no knowledge that I would be able to come to the United States. But so I mentioned to Kimi I said if ever I'm able to return to the United States that I can work at any kind of work and have a comfortable living, and that's all I mentioned to her. But my commanding officer, Colonel Duryea, one day told me that... see, I put all my efforts to keep that hospital and all additional buildings and property in good working order. And so he knew that I was more loyal to the United States and so he mentioned that, "Arthur, you don't belong here." And so he introduced me to Thomas Ainsworth who was a consulate in the consulate's office in Fukuoka. So Thomas Ainsworth submitted my application for reinstatement directly through the State Department.

AL: And you had to be reinstated because you had renounced?

AO: Yes, and so it only took a few days.

KO: They had to renounce and be with the family 'cause the family wanted to go back to Japan.

AL: And so, yeah, just to back up a little bit, we had talked when you were up in Lone Pine, we talked about your trip on the General Gordon. And you talk in your interview a little bit about you know waiting at the mouth of the Columbia River for the favorable sailing. But could you talk a little bit more about when you left the United States, your emotions about leaving the United States and going to Japan and seeing... that was the first time you had seen Japan?

AO: Yes.

AL: Right, when you went back? Could you just tell us a little more detail about that trip on the General Gordon and going back to Japan?

AO: I'll go back to when I left Fort Lincoln. When I left Fort Lincoln, I left without United States citizenship knowing that I will never have the opportunity to return to the United States. So I boarded a train and was transported to Portland, Oregon, and there I boarded the USS General Gordon. When I was on the dock, all I saw was the ship gunwale, and as they approached the ship, we just had sort of like a Jacob's ladder that the steps going up and over. And I thought that it was a size of a destroyer, that's my first image of the ship. And they placed me just at the head of the gunwale of the galley and the bunks were canvas bunks and six person, so I was on the bottom. So I had to wait 'til the ones that are above me are out before I could get out because scooting in between, I couldn't get... I couldn't scoot out. But fortunately I happened to meet the only captain military officer on board was a doctor and I don't know how I was able to meet him. But anyways, I met this captain and I told him that I worked as an orderly in the hospital in Manzanar and Tule Lake and so he said, well, you can stay in sick bay and be more comfortable so I spent most of my time up in sick bay.

AL: What was it like when you left the Columbia and you started sailing off the ocean, when you looked back and saw America for what you thought was the last time? Do you remember what you were thinking?

AO: Not really, I was coming down the Columbia River, we sailed on, we left Portland early and it took us all day to reach Astoria and they anchored. And so they had to wait for the tide because of the sand bars at the mouth of the Columbia River. And when it set sail and sailed out of the mouth of the Columbia River, there was at one time the ship seemed to dip, and I don't know what would cause that dip, but I do remember that time. And then the ship just slowly sailed out of the Columbia River, mouth of the Columbia River, and they headed north to travel on the great northern circle but it seemed that they were traveling between two storms, so they redirected their heading and then I was informed that they were sailing approximately 500 miles north of the Hawaiian island chain and that's why it took longer to cross, probably fifteen days crossing.