<Begin Segment 5>

KL: You were in Santa Anita for a time, is that right?

JW: Yeah, we were able to take our car, you know, those who wanted to, drove their cars up to Santa Anita and from there they... I don't know what they did with it. Yeah, and some people who could not have that, did not have cars, or couldn't make it, were loaded on trucks, I think. That's how we got to Santa Anita. Yeah, and then from Santa Anita, we had to take this train.

KL: So did anyone help you during those months? Did you have any neighbors or any organizations that offered assistance at all?

JW: No, I think we all did our own.

KL: And what grade were you in?

JW: I was in the twelfth, that year I was supposed to graduate in June. I think we were evacuated in March or April. But they did have a little graduation ceremony in the bleachers over there at Santa Anita, for those whose schools (sent) diplomas to Santa Anita. And Leuzinger High School is where I attended, and they were good enough to send all the... we had quite a few Japanese who were graduating. So our diplomas were sent there, and we had a nice ceremony.

KL: Would you describe the ceremony?

JW: Well, it was... we had no gowns or anything like that, and we sat on, I think the bleachers were where, I think those graduating were down below the bleachers, and we were given our... we don't have any pictures of it either. As a matter of fact, I don't think anybody had a camera. I can't remember too well, but I remember it was nice, anyway, to have been able to get your diploma.

KL: Did anyone from Leuzinger High School come?

JW: I don't think so. No, there were quite a few high school students that had gotten their diplomas. Later on I understand there were a lot of them that never did. But they did get 'em later on, years and years later.

KL: Do you remember your last day of school or what it was like to leave school so close to graduating?

JW: Well, that's one thing. No, I don't remember. I think it was just, not like even a goodbye. Years later when we were out here, I remember we had a reunion, and this young man who I knew very well, he was not there, and I asked him, "You weren't there at the reunion, our fiftieth?" And he says, "Nah." I says, "Why?" And he says, "You know, I had quite a few Caucasian friends in high school." He says, "Not oneof 'em ever said, "So long, good luck,' or anything like that." I've heard the opposite, I've heard where their Caucasian friends had come and bid 'em goodbye and came to the station to say goodbye and all that. But he said, no, he was still upset about that. Couldn't see why they couldn't have said, "Good luck." But I didn't have that feeling somehow or the other. Maybe it's because most of my friends were Japanese Americans.

KL: So did most of your friends then come to Santa Anita also?

JW: A few. But a few of 'em, my next door neighbor had a nice truck, they went to... several friends on that strip, on our road, went to Utah on their own.

KL: What else can you tell me about Santa Anita? Would you describe where you lived there and what a typical day was like?

JW: Yeah. You know what? We were in the stables at first, and that was kind of hilarious because the beds weren't very nice and all that. And then you know, in the stables they have, the upper part is bare. So you kind of heard the people on the other side, and that was funny. No privacy, that type of thing. But eventually we were moved into the barracks, which was much nicer. At least it was a nice room. Anyway, the stalls weren't very good, they kind smelled, too, I thought. And you didn't have [inaudible] but some people had to live there six months or whatever, while we were there.

KL: Can you describe your reaction when you saw where you were gonna be living?

JW: Yeah, that's... "Oh my," that's my thought. "Oh my goodness. We're gonna live here?" We had how many? There were four brothers and myself and my parents. I wonder now if we just had that one stall, or did we have two? Because when we were moved to Rohwer, we had two units. One for us and the other for the boys. And they had various mess halls, too, depending on where you lived. They had the blue, the orange... we first went to the blue and then we went over to the orange. Under the bleachers was the mess hall at first, at the beginning.

KL: This is backing up a little bit, but Shig mentioned, and you mentioned on the phone, I guess, that you sometimes had other people living with your family, that your parents would kind of host... like didn't Richard live with you for a while?

JW: Oh, that was when Richard came from Japan. That was before the war, yeah. Yeah, he needed a sponsor, and, of course, Richard's father and my dad were good friends. And so his father asked if he could come live with us and that's what he did. That's how I met Richard.

KL: Were there other people that your family sponsored?

JW: Yeah, there was... yeah, two brothers, the Sakai brothers. Yeah, there were two brothers who came, but not at the same time. But that was funny because this one here, he was tall, big guy, and that's when he went to the Lawndale Central School and I was in the seventh grade then because we had seventh, eighth. And here he was with the first graders and I'd see 'em lined up ready to march in the classroom. He would stand up five feet taller than the others, and it was funny. And then the other younger brother, after he moved out, then his younger brother came and lived with us. Did he go to school? I can't remember. Then Richard came (...).

KL: I felt that was kind of interesting that your family would help people out.

JW: Yeah, he did come.

<End Segment 5> - Copyright © 2014 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.