<Begin Segment 17>

JA: So, to come back to the very first question I asked you before we wrap up. What... do you think it's important for people to visit Manzanar and understand what it was?

GI: Oh, I think it's very important, and I think it's a good thing that they are doing what they are now, building that museum up there in Manzanar, so that people can understand what really happened. And, well, I know that even today, the majority of the American people don't even know what happened in Manzanar, or what Manzanar is. I've talked to different people and they said, "Manzanar, what's that?" I mean, you'd be surprised. So I think they should, that's one way of getting the word out to them actually what really happened to the Japanese Americans. So I think it's a good thing, so they can understand what really had happened during the war, and how we, how all of us Japanese Americans made a name for ourselves, to prove -- I mean, anybody can, as long as they can prove that they're good loyal American citizens, they can do it. And it's good for the, it was good for the Japanese Americans, and it still is. That's why I hate the idea of being called Asian American because I'm not an Asian American, I'm a, I'm an American of Japanese ancestry, let's believe it like that, you know? And if wasn't for the Japanese Americans doing what they did during World War II, I mean, we wouldn't, we wouldn't be able to reap all the good things that came out of it for all of us. I know that a lot of people got killed, but they had, they had sacrificed their life for us. We have to look at it that way. I wish more people, more Japanese Americans would feel that way instead of being a bunch of crybabies about the Manzanar and relocation or things like that.

And I'd like to bring out another strong point, I'd like to tell the, tell the people, is that the Japanese American Museum, I donated a lot of artifacts to the Japanese American Museum and I regret that for the simple reason that the Japanese Americans insist on calling it a concentration camp and it was not a concentration camp, and I want them to call it an internment camp. In fact, I even told that to the people up in, up in Lone Pine at the museum, that I'm dead-set against them calling it a concentration camp. But evidently at that time they turned it around and they called it an internment camp, but they still insist on calling it a concentration camp, the Japanese American museum, that is. I'm dead-set against that, and I sort of regret ever giving all the artifacts to the museum, because I gave them some, some things that I'm sure that they didn't, they don't, they didn't get a hold of.

JA: Well, you're a very optimistic person. It's been a pleasure talking with you.

GI: Thank you. I'm still optimistic. I still think that, I still got a lot more to, to give if somebody would let me give it to them. I mean, not, not in a sarcastic manner, but you know, if I was given the opportunity to do what I can for the community, which I did for -- I gave myself to the community for a long, long time. And I'd like to give one example of even the Japanese American. You know, during the year that I was in business, I used to donate many things to the retirement home, the Keiro home, a different, different Japanese American doings. And I remember I took a bunch of cakes up to the Keiro home, and Fred Wada, who was a very popular Japanese American who did a lot for the Japanese American community, he asked if I would serve on the board there, and he asked them, and I was there when he asked the board, board members, but to this day, you think they would ask me? No. For the simple reason that they already have a cliche in there that they don't want to change, and they don't want to listen to new, they don't want to listen to anybody in there that's got different ideas about how to improve the situation. So I always held that against the Japanese American group that runs the different organizations. It's a cliche, no question about that. It's all politics.

JA: Yeah, it's all politics. Yeah, tell me your name and where you're from.

GI: My name is George -- they used to call me "Gimp" -- Izumi in, I mean, before the war and in the camp, and I live at 3231 South Bentley Avenue in West Los Angeles, where I grew up.

JA: Thank you. Where'd you get that name?

GI: Okay, am I still on? I guess so, okay.

JA: You're still on.

GI: I got that name "Gimp" when I was playing basketball and people have asked me, "Where'd you get the name Gimp?" Well, I was playing basketball down at Lincoln Junior High School in Santa Monica. That was back in 1940, and I played against a fellow by the name of Babe Nomura, who became a star athlete at San Jose State, star football player. Anyway, I had wrecked my knee somehow or other playing basketball and he saw me limping around and says, "Hey Gimp," he says. So that's, then he called me "Gimp" and that's where the name started and it stayed with me ever since. So I give all that credit to old Babe Nomura. If he's listening -- I know he's still around somewhere.

JA: [Laughs] Okay. Thank you so much.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2002 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.