<Begin Segment 21>

RP: What was it like for you to, to revisit Manzanar this year?

FN: In a way I was sad to see, it was kind of, I kind of figured it to be block-like and when I saw all the trees and shrubs it kind of broke my heart to see it like that. 'Cause I expected it to be nice and clear and you can notice every block. I knew there was no barracks there but it was kind of disheartening to see it back to the desert. But I was glad to be in Manzanar though.

RP: And you, you visited Block 14 which is your former block.

FN: Yeah, uh-huh.

RP: And the National Park Service is reconstructing buildings there.

FN: Yeah, uh-huh.

RP: Were there, were there other families that you remember in Block Fourteen that you connected with?

FN: No, I don't remember. I think there was a Oki family.

RP: Oh, the Oki.

FN: Yeah. I think they were on our barracks too.

RP: Uh-huh. Yes. Susumu?

FN: Susumu, yeah. And his brother, Hiroshi, got killed in an accident and they had a flower farm some place.

RP: Do you remember a Nagano family at all?

FN: Nagano, that sounds familiar but, no, I don't remember. What's the first name?

RP: Joe Nagano?

FN: No.

RP: Okay. So what, Fred, do you remember most about your, your experience at the Manzanar camp?

FN: What do you mean?

RP: Well, did it impact you in a positive way? Did you feel like you grew up a little quicker?

FN: No, it just, staying there I didn't feel like I was imprisoned at all because I had a freedom going to any blocks or anyplace I wanted and nobody, no sentry or anybody... and, as I say, I was interest -- not interest, I liked fishing but like right now I like to go out there to fish but at that time I didn't have no fishing equipment or even if you catch the fish, nothing you can do about it so it's... the feeling is when you're out here you want to go back out there to go fishing. But when you're there, that didn't interest me at all. As I say, I liked to catch fish bare-handed and then once you catch 'em you let it go. But that satisfaction that you can catch fish with a bare hand was something that...

RP: So, when, when you look back on, on Manzanar you have no anger or bitterness about...

FN: No I don't, no. I love the place. I don't want to go back there to live now but at that time it was nice, I mean, I loved it.

<End Segment 21> - Copyright &copy; 2011 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.