<Begin Segment 29>

RP: Oh, another important event took place related to your experience in the camps, the 1980s movement surfaced to obtain redress. An apology from the government for your treatment during the war.

AF: Grandpa got redress, too, didn't he?

RP: And also a monetary payment was sent to surviving members. So what was your reaction to that? Did you feel, what was your feelings about getting an apology? And if you don't mind sharing with us what you did with the money you received.

AF: Well, you were probably too young, huh, Nancy?

NN: No.

RP: In 1988.

AF: On, '88? I remember, but to me, I thought, I guess I must have been old enough, however, it didn't phase me too much.

KT: Isn't that funny?

AF: For one thing, I guess we never really suffered like a lot of people. My father was...

RP: Fortunate.

AF: Yeah. He had lawyers and everything, so we were always provided for.

NN: Well, I was grateful and thankful that the country that I live in would acknowledge an error and rectify it and to apologize. And I was grateful that they did that. It gave me some hope for this country. [Laughs]

AF: Oh, that's great.

NN: At that time. [Laughs]

KT: Isn't that funny? Because at that time, I had definite thoughts, but I can't think of any.

AF: I can't, either.

KT: But I know when it was going on I had real definite... I can't remember which way it went. I think it's old age.

RP: Finally, have you returned to Manzanar?

NN: No, I'm still waiting to.

AF: [Addressing someone off camera] Did we ever go to Manzanar? Did we ever go to Manzanar?

Off camera voice: I don't think --

AF: We went, passed through there, huh?

Off camera voice: I don't think we ever stopped.

AF: We just went, zipped by.

NN: I know we sent, there was another museum, was it in Independence or something? And in '93, when we had our reunion, Manzanar reunion, my girlfriend and I, third grade friend, she and I sort of helped in that committee. And so we were trying to get a, our class together again to honor the teacher who is still alive, Seiko Ishida. And so we were involved with that, and we were able to contact -- we weren't able to locate about four people, or identify four people in that photo. But so we were only able to get about less than half of the members to come to that reunion dinner. And it was really nice that we were able to do that, but that was the one we had all the time that we were involved with the reunion committee. But I just haven't... I don't know, I haven't been able to go back there yet, and hopefully I will now. And at that time she had written a poem, and I had asked Archie Miyatake if I could use one of his pictures and put her poem on there. And he was kind enough to let me do that, and so I made two copies... no, I made three copies -- no, two copies of that, and donated mine to the museum in Independence. And I think hers is hanging on the wall. [Laughs]

AF: Oh. Who's that, Giardo?

NN: No, Margie.

RP: Oh, Margie Wong? Oh. She's from Manzanar?

NN: Yes. Her maiden name is Motowaki.

AF: Oh, is that right?

NN: She was in my third grade.

KT: No kidding?

AF: Oh, isn't that nice?

<End Segment 29> - Copyright © 2008 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.