Densho Digital Archive - John Tomita Interview (denshovh-tjohn

<Begin Segment 10>

KP: Okay, December 7, 1941, do you remember what you were doing?

JT: Oh, December 7... I was at, oh, that was winter break. Yeah, winter break and yeah, I was home. And, I was playing... I was in the basketball tournament with the Isleton team. I guess I missed them... I used to like sports so basketball there... and I remember on the way to the Sacramento basketball tournament we hear radio says, you know. But, we couldn't believe. I thought that was all show. We didn't think it was a war. We were, I was in the car and he says, "Oh, they're putting, putting on a pretty good show here." And, and never thought that the war really began. And then after the, after the games -- I know we lost by a few points -- gee, that war news was still going and gee, I guess that's, so there's a war going on. But somehow war seemed so far away and to me it was hard to believe it was... and especially Japan fighting. We couldn't believe it.

KP: How did your, did your life change at all after that? Did you start noticing things changing or...

JT: Yeah. Yes.

KP: In what way?

JT: Well, the Caucasian were, they were, start making remarks here and there.

KP: This was in Isleton or when you went back to --

JT: Yeah. So after the war, I went back. That's right. I went back to school and then, yeah, my dad got, start calling me. He says look like I have to come back because, yeah, I remember, yeah, okay... the FBI, FBI were, parked his car right across the street from us. And they parked there and watched my father every day. I don't... so, he felt they were gonna pick him up. Because he's there every day. So, so I left school and came home. And I remember there was a JACL group came and well, I still remember that... they said we gotta get ready to move. And I don't... I still, I guess I was a fighter. I mean, I thought maybe, I fought. I said, "No, we should stand here and fight this thing. Once, once we give up our home, that's it." And I was the only one. So, yeah. [Cries]

[Interruption]

JT: At the JACL meeting, I fought it. And... I don't know how many guy, but they came after me and... they carried me out of that hall and dumped me outside and they won't let me go back in. So, anyway. They didn't they didn't pick up my dad. But, yeah, well...

KP: It, it sounds, sounds like that's something that you never really expected.

JT: Yeah.

KP: That the JACL would take that kind of a stand.

JT: And, I know they couldn't answer my question.

KP: What was your question?

JT: That, why did we, there was no order yet and... I said we should find out why we're getting pushed out. Well, actually, I didn't realize that they were building camps and whatnot.

KP: So, your father wasn't picked up.

JT: No, he was never picked up.

KP: Do, do you have any idea why he was being watched? Did you ever figure that out?

JT: Well, see, my father he was president of the local Kumamoto Kenjinkai, that's a...

KP: The prefectural...

JT: Yeah. And he used to be. And then he used to, he was active in the, he sponsored the, a sumo team of the town. And so that's the only involvement he was. Oh, and besides, he was a bootlegger. I mean... but...

KP: He probably had a big long file on him from those days, I'm sure.

JT: Yeah. So, but he, he never got picked up. They picked up my cousin but he didn't, my father was never picked up.

KP: What was your, your cousin was Nisei?

JT: Huh?

KP: Was your cousin Nisei?

JT: No, he was a...

KP: Issei.

JT: Yeah. He was Issei. He's Japan-born. Yeah, he had his family in... yeah, but he got picked up. But my father, somehow he... yeah, I remember coming, coming home from school and watch that guy over there across the street. He's parked there and then, then that car leaves and another car come by. And, they, they seemed like twenty-four hours a day. So, we, at that time, we thought for sure they, they were gonna pick up my dad.