<Begin Segment 17>

KL: When you were in Tanforan, what did you think would happen next?

MS: Well, we knew that was temporary, that we would be going somewhere else, but we didn't know where. And then the day came and we did have to go.

LP: Tell us about that.

ST: Long train ride.

MS: Yeah, they escorted us out the back, and it was kind of convenient, because all they'd do is put us out the gate, and the trains were there. For some reason we were told not to lift the shades, remember?

ST: Oh, yeah.

MS: So we had to get in the train and it was all dark inside, and we'd kind of peek out and see if we could tell where we were going. I don't know why we had to keep the shades down. I kind of thought it was like they didn't want us to know where we were going.

ST: Or they didn't want other people to see what was going on.

MS: Probably more reasonable. They would panic if they saw a train full of "Japs."

KL: Sat, you said everything you wanted was on the farm, and then you had those friends from school come visit in Tanforan. How did you feel headed toward Topaz?

ST: Well, all I can say is loved that life on the farm, and they took it away from me. So I guess I was bitter.

KL: When you were fifteen, what were your expectations or your hopes for adult life? What did you think your life would be like before the war?

ST: On the farm, well, I thought I'd be a farmer. I loved that life.

MS: Well, you didn't end up being a farmer.

ST: No.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2015 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.