Densho Digital Archive
Manzanar National Historic Site Collection
Title: Mary Nomura Interview
Narrator: Mary Nomura
Interviewer: John Allen
Location:
Date: November 7, 2002
Densho ID: denshovh-nmary-01-0012

<Begin Segment 12>

JA: What's your fondest memory of Manzanar?

MN: I would say the friendship we made of all these people that were neighbors, and a fact of course --

JA: Say that for me, my question won't be heard, so if you would just say that as a full sentence: "My fondest memory is..."

MN: My fondest memory of Manzanar is the friendship that we made. It was something that, unless you were a hermit, I mean, you just couldn't help but make a good friendship with the people around you, and the good memories that we kept from that. And, of course, the fact that I met my husband there and just... my husband always used to say when he was asked, "What, what did you think about the evacuation?" He says, "So many ugly stories, but I don't dwell on that. I only dwell on the good memories, where I met my wife, and then from there we had a good family, so I can only say I only have good memories. I won't say the ugly part because there's enough of that around."

JA: Do you have any bad memories of the experience there?

MN: No, not really, to say where I absolutely hated the place. It was just the first few nights that I was just so confused and unhappy, but being that I was younger, I was able to accept and go from there and...

JA: Did it have any effect on the way you felt about the United States?

MN: No, I really don't think so. Like I tell everybody, I was only sixteen, and I don't, I wasn't that aware of things like that. I mean, I should have been, but I wasn't. So bad memories, so many people had, but I just try to have the good memories.

JA: Good, that's good.

<End Segment 12> - Copyright © 2002 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.