Densho Digital Archive - Fred Nagai Interview (denshovh-nfred-01-0014)

<Begin Segment 14>

RP: Do you have any recollections, Fred, of the, it's often called the Manzanar riot?

FN: Yeah, I heard there was a couple, two or three people that was snitching to the FBI and everything trying to get some kind of trouble started. But I was in our barrack minding my own business. I heard a lot of people making a big noise right by the police station by the gate there. But I wasn't interested in anything like that. And they were trying to beat up somebody. And I think they got a couple people got shot there and they were running away and I was home. My mother says, "Hey Fred, you'd better go and mingle with them otherwise they'll think you're a dog too." She said, "They might come after you." So I just went there and I saw a couple people there and I went back to the house. I didn't want any of that. I heard that somebody got shot or something and everybody was running away. And that was in the big firebreak there. So I really don't know what happened and there was about three or four people hiding in the hospital there. And I think they were hidden someplace in the hospital. So the people couldn't get at 'em. There were about three or four people there calling inu, which is a dog, you know... so, but I had nothing to do with that. I don't care if they snitch or, I had nothing to do with anything. So, I was just minding my own business in the camp and I didn't join any of those kind of groups or anything.

RP: You weren't politically involved in any of that.

FN: No.

RP: How about there was another group that was kind of intimidating in camp and that was the Terminal Island guys?

FN: Oh, well they, yeah. But to tell the truth, two of 'em married my sisters. [Laughs]

RP: Really. Who, who was, who married your...

FN: Bob Muragami and Fumio Hara. They're both passed away but they were Terminal Island but they didn't bother you. I mean, when they're with a bunch of group people they're and everybody was scared of them so, but they're, if you take each one of 'em they're the nicest guys. But when they get in a group like that they think, oh, everybody's scared of us. So, but Bob Muragami used to, scared to even come near our barrack door so he used to pick my sister up. She used to work in the canteen and used to just walk up her up to the laundry place and he never came into my house.

RP: Which sister was that?

FN: Miye.

RP: Miye.

FN: Yes, my next, yeah. And Fumio married my youngest sister, Fumio Hara.

RP: Did they both, were they both married outside of camp? I mean after, after camp or did they marry at camp?

FN: Gee, I don't remember. Fumio married out. I think Bob married in the camp. I don't know. I don't remember.

RP: But they were reluctant to come to the, to the room.

FN: Oh, yeah. They know we all hated San Pedro people... they're the nicest guys but in group, but individually you can't beat 'em.

RP: So Mr. Ohara just passed away.

FN: Uh-huh.

RP: And, he fought in the Korean War and won a bronze star? Is that, do you know of that?

FN: I... like our family, we never gloat over anything so if it's something they just keep it to themselves. I don't... yeah, I think he was in the service and he got a medal for something but...