<Begin Segment 6>

RP: Did you, did you need any additional attention or care and did you receive that at Heart Mountain?

DK: No. No, I didn't have any further care in Heart Mountain. I did start working as a nurse's aide after school which, which helped, which was a short period of time. And that, that kind of helped me too. But I didn't have any further surgery until after I got married, I guess.

RP: How about social life in Heart Mountain? What did...

DK: Oh, I didn't have any social life in Heart Mountain, come to think of it. No, the only thing we did was... uh, I, we, we had a little girls group in, in our... I know there was an upper and lower Block 20. And we were the upper Block 20. And kind, it was kind of a little pettiness between the girls from the lower block and the upper block. That was it. But, I don't remember having, I don't even remember what we did. I just remember that there were a group of us, about seven of us I think. And...

RP: Was, do you recall any, do you have any memories about the landscape around the camp? Anything in particular that...

DK: I just remember it was very dirty and dusty when we got there. And hot. And, I remember seeing this Heart Mountain was beautiful. I thought it was very, very pretty. But I couldn't remember that much about camp. I remember being very cold walking to school. And we had these, these GI peacoats that they had issued us. But those were even not that warm in that cold weather. It was twenty below a couple of times I remember going to school. That was really cold. And... let's see.

RP: Another popular topic of camp always comes up is the food in the mess halls.

DK: The what?

RP: The food in the mess halls?

DK: Oh yeah, yeah. That was, it wasn't the best. But it was edible. So, yeah, I remember the first couple of times going to the mess hall, I didn't know what to expect. And so my brother, my older brother who was two years older, took me to the mess hall and he went with me a couple, a few times so I got used to it, huh. But it was just, just one table and everyone, people, like picnic-style. That we all, that, that's what I remember anyway. And waiting in line for your food, which wasn't that good. But that's about... I don't remember too much about camp life. That's the thing. I just remember it was hard.

RP: Having, not being really connected with your Japanese --

DK: Uh-huh.

RP: -- "Japaneseness," did, did that, or was there a void there that you wanted to fill? A curiosity or a longing to know more about, about the culture, about...

DK: No, not really. I don't know. I just wasn't thinking at that time. I just, 'cause there's so much that I've, I can't remember.

RP: Uh-huh.

DK: I think I blocked out a lot of it.

RP: You're an American kid, too.

DK: Yeah. Right.

RP: So you started high school in Heart Mountain.

DK: Uh-huh.

RP: What do you remember about that?

DK: I don't remember much about that either. Then when I went out to New York, then I started high school again. 'Cause I don't think I went... did I go a year? I don't think I went a year. Maybe I went six months to Heart Mountain. See, these, these kind of things I don't remember. It's just terrible.

RP: Was your, this is a, this is a difficult time for you in a lot of ways. Was there any, a particular person or something in the camp that kind of kept your spirits going or gave you some, a little bit of reassurance?

DK: Well, I think maybe my brother George really helped me a lot. He's the one who is two years older. I think he kind of felt my needs and he tried to help me as much as he could. But, you know, a kid at fifteen is, is gonna be trying to have some fun himself so he couldn't pay much attention to me.

RP: Uh-huh.

DK: And, but, yeah.

RP: Did you have any connection with a, a religious organization in camp?

DK: No, not in camp at all.

RP: How about with the Lanfears?

DK: Periodically we went to church. Not regularly. She used to send me with the neighbors sometimes, but not, not real church-goers.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2010 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.