<Begin Segment 9>

KP: So growing up, going to high school in that, that area, you had a couple Japanese American friends you mentioned.

MJ: No. There was, there was Japanese students, there was a lot of 'em. But I didn't have any of 'em as personal friends. I had a black boy that was a friend of mine, 'cause we sang together in a quartet. And, like I say, some of my best friends were the Mexican family, Jess Hernandez and his, his two kids.

KP: What, what kind of music did you sing in your quartet?

MJ: Oh, we sang the rock and roll. It was, it was four of us that came... we also sang at choir. That was probably one of the, the classes I enjoyed the most, was a cappella choir, boys glee, and then our little quartet, and we went around.

KP: Did you have a name for your quartet?

MJ: [Laughs] If we did I don't remember. We sang at the Senior NCO club a lot, over in Fort Ord. They would have us come over there and we'd sing. So, it was fun. We enjoyed it. And then I still, I sang up to about five years ago. My hearing got so bad I couldn't sing in choir any more at our Methodist church in Woodland, which we've been a Methodist for over thirty-five years there. So, but I don't do much singing anymore because my hearing is so bad. Yeah.

KP: Did any of the... it didn't sound like you were real close with a lot of the Japanese people after the war.

MJ: Uh-huh.

KP: Did you ever hear anybody talk about the camp experience or any of that?

MJ: No I didn't. And I forgot to ask my brother whether he did or not. No, I know it wasn't good, that's for sure. And I don't know if my dad ever went down there to see them. I really doubt it. He probably didn't have time to do that. If he would have had time he probably would have, that's for sure.

KP: You also said that your, that you kept hearing from people in the community, all types of people in the community, about how your father had stepped out and really helped the Japanese during the time of the war.

MJ: It... I think it kind of circulated around Salinas that he had helped these farmers. And I'm sure he wasn't the only one that helped 'em. There was, I know my mother said there was a lot of Japanese farmers that lost their farms. That when they came back they didn't have anything. It was gone. Either the person that was farming it or the landlord or the bank took it back and they didn't have anything.

KP: So from your opinion, what do you think the attitude toward the Japanese was in the Salinas area where you grew up?

MJ: You're saying what, what...

KP: What was the community, I mean, was there an overall community feel for who the Japanese were? I mean, some communities had animosity against the Japanese. Other ones felt kind of supportive. Do you have any idea?

MJ: I don't know that I could tell you that. From what I saw there was, there was nothing that... they just came back and everything went back the way it was except for the ones, like I say, that lost their farms and stuff. But I was, I was too young to even... the only thing I would have, would if somebody, somebody had told me about these different stories. But I don't remember any of that, no. I don't know if my brother would or not, whether he would remember. He'd actually did... I never did, never did drive a tractor or anything like that, but he did, he did some work out there for Dad. But I was too young. So I can't help you there. I wish I could.

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 2009 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.