<Begin Segment 18>

KP: You got drafted out of Topaz?

TT: Yeah.

KP: And where did you, what did you feel about that?

TT: Well, you know, when I signed that "loyalty questionnaire," I knew I was going to get drafted. It was a matter of time. So I had no qualm about going. I went to Fort Douglas, Utah, from there I went to Camp Blanding. But the hardest part, you know, they give you leave before you go overseas, see, like us, most of us, we come out, they give us a few days at home. But the hardest part was when you're leaving, you know you're going overseas, but you know, I still remember saying goodbye to (my) family through the barbed wire fence and be standing there. That was the hardest part. As far as going into the army, it was nothing. But you've got to figure you might not even come back, see. That was the hardest part outside of that. But going into the army, I didn't... because once we signed the "loyalty questionnaire," I knew I was subject to the draft.

KP: Did any other brothers, were they of age or were they too young?

TT: I was the only one in the family to go.

KP: Were your brothers younger? I don't remember.

TT: My older brother was, he had a bum leg, so he didn't get... my younger brother was too young at that time. So I was the only one in our family. I didn't volunteer. They asked for volunteers, I said, "No, no. You put me here, I'm gonna stay here." So they come after me. [Laughs] But once they came after me, see, I was willing to go. So I spent fifteen weeks in Camp Blanding, Florida, basic training.

KP: Why Camp Blanding? I thought most of the people...

TT: That's in Florida.

KP: Yeah. Why, why there and not Shelby?

TT: Camp Shelby? They had two camps, Camp Shelby and Blanding. Lot of people went to, original people went to Shelby first, then they opened up the camp -- anyway, I headed up to Camp Blanding. That camp is still there, incidentally. But I ended up in Blanding.

KP: And what year was that?

TT: 1944, middle of '44.

<End Segment 18> - Copyright © 2008 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.