Densho Digital Archive - Susumu Iwasaki Interview (denshovh-isusumu

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RP: What other memories do you have of, early on of growing up on Terminal Island?

SI: Oh, you mean my brother?

RP: No, your own memories of growing up on Terminal Island.

SI: Well, you mean my relative, you're talking about, right?

RP: Well, you. What do you remember about Terminal Island as a kid?

SI: Not too much. I mean we just... we're still going to school then. When the war broke out, I was in the eighth grade and fourteen years old. And I remember the day when the, the army personnel came and delivered that message that we had to leave Terminal Island in forty-eight hours. And that was pretty rough. I mean, for, you know, my dad. And it was... he never left Terminal Island to begin with and so there was no storage area or nothing. But somehow or another he managed to store some of the stuff someplace. I don't know how he ever did that. And then we, we had, one of the few fortunate people that used to have a car. And all that stuff that's, was in the store, the barbershop, he left it. And we couldn't take it. The mirrors and the chairs and furnitures and beds and everything was left all there.

And my highlight -- I don't want to say my highlight -- but the worst thing that ever happened to me was on, when everybody left, my dad and... it was what? Four more other kids, my mother, and they left for L.A. And I was left there by myself. And I was sitting on the porch and some guy came on a pickup and says, "Hey, what are you doing here?" I says, "Well, I'm waiting for my folks to pick me up." And of course they never came, came back. That was... but, you know, the funny part of it was I wasn't even afraid. For what reason, I don't know. So I was sittin' there and then the guy... in fact I can remember I was sitting on one of the bed's frame, and the guy says, "Well," he says, "you gotta come with me," he says. "So I'll try to find your folks." So he took me to L.A. and then I guess apparently he knew most, where most of the Terminal Island people went. Not most, I would say some. And they was either at the Evergreen Hostel or the Baptist Church on Second Street on Evergreen. So he took me over there first. And they weren't there. And so he took me up to the, the hostel, which is 506 North Evergreen. And I still remember that, that place. Then, and they were there, so... I didn't think nothing of it. I just got, went over there. I says, "I'm back." I says, "I'm here." [Laughs] So anyway, that's what happened.