<Begin Segment 20>

KP: I do have one more question about Manzanar, and that is, in the winter of '43 and '44, right there, I think that was while you were there...

RD: Yeah.

RP: A bunch of people shipped out to Tule Lake. Do you remember that at all?

RD: Yeah. I remember something like that. I think they sent, I guess what they considered more the hardcore, sent up to Tule Lake, 'cause it was a tougher camp up there, I think. And how many went, I don't know, but I think it was probably some of the older people anyway. 'Cause the younger generation there, they weren't causing any problems, 'cause they weren't raised like the parents were. And there was, I remember something like that, but I don't know how many went there when it happened.

KP: Bob said that he was actually involved in the inspections of people going out.

RD: Oh, he was? Maybe he was, yeah.

KP: But you weren't involved in that?

RD: No, not that I can recall.

RP: Another question similar to that one, there was, this might have been early on before you got there, but there was always an MP stationed at the post office, and they would go through the parcels, you know, that were delivered to the internees.

RD: Oh, yeah, I imagine so, yeah. I don't remember, I was never involved in any of that, but I'm sure they inspected everything that came into camp there.

RP: And you said on occasion you were stationed at the gate, the front gate of the camp?

RD: Yeah. And that was kind of an honor, 'cause it was an easy job. You got to meet a lot of people, so we'd always had a "simon says," and I went out a couple times, they'd get a bunch of us there, last one standing, so I got to be guard duty the next day, and then you get a six-hour pass that night. So I've done that a couple times. Thought that was a big deal to get to wear that revolver and everything else and stand on the gate there checking people in and out.

RP: You felt kind of in charge of things.

RD: Yeah, yeah. Feel like you're kind of special or something, kind of honored or something like that at that time. As far as I can remember.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2009 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.