Densho Digital Archive - Roy Murakami Interview (denshovh-mroy

<Begin Segment 34>

RP: Was there any other work that you did in camp besides the chicken ranch?

RM: Oh, I did a little bit. Before that I did the farming out one day or so picking potatoes. That's a back-breaking job. They grew potatoes and they had to store 'em so they dug 'em up and the kids went out there and picked 'em for so much a bag or something like that. And they stored it... they had two storage areas over the, in the, where all the buildings are. They were dug out and... so they have potatoes for every day. It really, more or less, became self-sufficient in that they got meat and poultry and we had pork, some pork sometimes. But the vegetables there at all time almost, good vegetables.

RP: Did you have any connections or interactions with any of the military police who guarded the camp?

RM: Oh, yeah, one time. We used, we were going by one of the guard towers, and they guy started talking to us and he says, "Hey, you guys go out, I'll let you out the gate here and you could go out there and get me muskmelon." And he said, "And you could do anything you want out there but bring back these muskmelon for me." So we went out there and we broke open the watermelon and ate the just the middle out of it and then we take these balls back, you know. [Laughs]

RP: Oh you brought 'em back?

RM: Yeah, brought it to him, you know.

RP: The remains of the watermelon?

RM: No, no, muskmelon.

RP: Oh, muskmelon?

RM: Musk. [Laughs]

RP: That was interesting.

RM: We had one time we, a guy was standing there. He looked like Kay Kaiser. You don't know Kay Kaiser I don't think. Kay Kaiser used to be band leader, big band, and he, before the war I think he was. But he, this guy just looked like him. Got the glasses, short blond hair, you know and stuff. And he would come and we would talk to him. And he brought his Thompson out, took the bullets out and, "Here, you could play with this." And we just look around and... it was pretty good.