Densho Digital Archive - George Kikuta Interview (denshovh-kgeorge

<Begin Segment 16>

RP: Do you have any other stories or recollections you'd like to share with us about Japan or United States before we complete our interview?

GK: Anything, any particular field?

RP: I probably maybe just say, when I mention the word Manzanar, what does it mean to you now?

GK: You know, it's, Manzanar is always my personal experience, in my view. But I talk about, a little bit about... I think Niseis went through real emotional experiences compared to my experience. Because I was so small, so I don't have this emotional thing. And I hear many Niseis, they're in high school, and they're pulled from high school. And some of the young adults, they went to, volunteered for war in Europe. So I think they, they have more emotional... when you hear about Manzanar or any camp names, you know. To me, it's more of a nostalgic, good memory, rather than a bad memory.

KP: I have a question. Redress in 1988.

GK: Yes.

KP: What was your experience with that, your feelings about that?

GK: You know, I was, I was very young, and got the money, $20,000. So what I did is I gave half to my parents, because they were, they didn't have that much savings. So I, to me, it's rewarding that Reagan, was it? The letter to us, right? So that's, that's good. I didn't feel anything, but I felt good about, especially my mother and my father, they went through so much. But money, $20,000 for them was like a little pittance. Because when my dad felt the, he feels if he was, just keep doing, he was a hardworking man, so I'm sure he was successful produce person. And financially, I'm sure, it was rewarding. But when he died, he was retired from gardening, and the money was good, $20,000, even $20,000 was okay.

RP: Kind of a follow-up to that... oh, did your, either your mother or your father become naturalized citizens when Isseis had the chance to do that?

KP: His father was.

RP: Oh, I'm sorry, that's right. I'm sorry.

GK: See, yeah, both my mother and father was born in Hawaii, so they had citizenship.

RP: Already citizenship. Forget it. I'm just too locked into the usual.

KP: What I find very interesting is you're second-generation Kibei.

GK: Yeah. You know, my father was Kibei, so I'm Kibei, second generation like you said.

RP: Do you have any other questions, Kirk?

KP: No.

RP: George, thank you very much. I appreciate your time and your stories.