<Begin Segment 9>

RP: So on February 19th, President Roosevelt signed the executive order and then towards the end of March they began, quote, "evacuating" Japanese Americans from the West Coast. And eventually an evacuation order was issued for your community, your area. Do you remember anything about the preparations and plans? How you prepared to be removed?

LS: It was, I believe it was just like you can only take what you can carry type of thing. We just left everything. And had to go to this, to get on the buses in Brawley somewhere.

RP: The farm, do you know what preparations were made to the farm?

LS: The farm, you know that time I don't know what was going... I just, I know to harvest at one point I had to go into town with my sister to try to find people to come out and harvest. But when we left I don't know what had to be done. I think we just packed whatever we could pack and that was it.

RP: Recall having to, trying to sell items?

LS: I don't think anybody would buy anything.

RP: Or storing items maybe at the Buddhist church?

LS: No, we didn't do that. There might have been people who were storing things but we did not.

RP: Or possibly... you mentioned the Mexican families that lived on the ranch, or farm.

LS: Yes, I'm sure that whatever, you know, if we had anything of value they probably would have taken that.

RP: So, you boarded the buses in Brawley and went directly to Poston?

LS: To Poston.

RP: Any memories of the trip to Poston?

LS: I don't remember very much of the trip to Poston. No, I'm sorry. I don't remember. I just remember getting on the bus and I don't remember the trip.

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 2010 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.