<Begin Segment 21>

KL: When did you go to the assembly center?

AO: It was, must have been sometime in April, because we left there in June, the end of June, and supposedly we were there for a couple of months. So must have been toward the end of April.

KL: Do you remember leaving there?

AO: Yes. When we left, I remember, because I was wearing about three layers of clothes, it was so cold. And my heavy overcoat over everything. But very little about the train ride.

KL: Where did you gather to take the train?

AO: I don't remember. All I remember is being on the train, and vaguely remember when we hit Barstow, it was so hot. And Poston's right straight across east from Barstow. And between there and Parker, the train ran out of water. So we had no water to drink for the last few hours of our trip. And so when we got to Poston, we were all so thirsty. And because the water lines had just been installed, and the water still was not arable, they boiled the water. And then to make it palatable, they made tea out of it. And the, of course, all of us were dehydrated, so they handed us with, handed out salt pills in the tea, and it was hot. And I remember thinking, "If I drop dead right now, nobody would care."

KL: When you ran out of water on the train, did you know you were a couple hours away?

AO: No, we had no idea when we'd get any water.

KL: Did you know where you were going?

AO: No.

KL: Did you know how long it would take?

AO: We had absolutely no idea. There may have been some people who did, but I certainly didn't, we didn't, our family.

KL: How long was the train ride?

AO: I think we were only one night on the train. My husband kept a diary, and he's got in it what was served at each meal. And I was thinking, wow, I have absolutely no recollection of what we ate or anything.

<End Segment 21> - Copyright © 2013 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.