<Begin Segment 22>

RP: I'd like to just kind of get a, a kind of a little bit of finality with the rest of your family members. Aki married, went, went off to Hawaii.

SK: Yes.

RP: And how about Mary?

SK: She, yeah, she's...

RP: Mary, did she...

SK: (Yeah, her husband) was with the 442, uh-huh. And she had three children. They're all doing very well. Anything else you wanted...

RP: Paul?

SK: Paul. (...) He has four children and he's retired. He was a landscape gardener for the city for many years. He's doing a lot of babysitting 'cause his children have little ones now and his wife, Kay, was a teacher for forty years, elementary school teacher, (now retired), she still goes to school to volunteer in the same (school), as an assistant to a teacher. So...

RP: Did your uncle remain in New York for the rest of his life?

SK: Oh, yes, yes he did. Uh-huh. I think he passed away about twenty years ago.

RP: And your parents returned to California at some point?

SK: Yeah. Oh, yeah, we all returned. When did they return? Paul and Mom and Pop?

Off Camera: Paul did not come. Paul didn't go any place, I mean, to Hawaii. He was in New York.

SK: No, they returned to California when...

Off Camera: Oh, Mom and Pop?

SK: Uh-huh.

Off Camera: Shortly after, let's see, I went, we went in '47 so I'd say '58 or maybe before '58.

SK: Uh-huh. Fifty years, uh-huh.

Off Camera: They didn't stay in Hawaii very long.

SK: Just the thought that you asked me about my uncle, I'd like to mention that he received a special --

Off Camera: Kunsho.

SK: -- recognition, kunsho, recognition from -- oh, you spoke Japanese. [Laughs] From the emperor of Japan for, for the work that he's done to make things better between the U.S. and Japan in his work.

RP: So he, after the war, he began his import/export business again?

SK: Yeah, he did. And, but it was many years after that that he received the (award), it's called the Rising Son Award or something. But it's a special recognition and so he was extremely proud of that.

RP: Your, when your dad resettled here in California, what did he do? You said that he kind of faded into the background but did he...

SK: Well, my brother Paul (...), before he worked for the city, had his own gardening route. So he'd take my father with him. And he used to dig up the wrong plants and do the wrong things, but my brother still took him and cared for him and, well, he cared for both my parents until he got married.

KP: Can I ask you a question? You talked about seeing the 442nd veterans coming back and seeing that they were kind of shellshocked I guess is the proper term, you know that post traumatic stress is what we call it today. It sounds like you were describing your father's reaction to the evacuation and camp was almost the same kind of thing.

SK: Yeah, you have a point there. Uh-huh.

KP: Did you ever think about that?

SK: Yeah. That's right. It's a different kind of experience but, yeah, he was very withdrawn. I think a lot of the soldiers became withdrawn. And he didn't seem to be functioning as he used to. (...) I didn't know that many soldiers but that was my reaction, that they were so different. They had grown old and they never talked about their experiences, but you could read it on their faces.

RP: Sachi, would you like to, is there any other stories or memories that you want to share with us that we haven't touched on?

SK: No, I think we covered most everything and I do appreciate your, your coverage and your interest and, and you asked all the good, all the right questions.

RP: Well, thank you on behalf of ourselves and the National Park Service and the American people.

SK: Well, this has been an interesting experience for us.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright © 2009 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.