<Begin Segment 6>

MH: After you got married, shortly after that, the war started. What were you doing when World War II started?

KK: I was harvesting cauliflower.

MH: You were harvesting cauliflower. What did you think of that? What did you think of the war? Did it scare you? How did you feel? Kaz, how did you feel when the war started?

KK: I couldn't understand why Japan would attack Pearl Harbor.

MH: Wondered why. Shortly after, you got orders to leave your home, your farm. What happened to your farm? What did you do with the farm before you left?

KK: We rented the farm to a local dairyman.

MH: And what was his name?

KK: Ganmine.

MH: Okay. So he was a dairy farmer.

KK: Yeah.

MH: Did he pay you rent?

KK: He paid the rent.

MH: How much did you get for it?

KK: Not too much.

MH: Not too much. What do you mean by not too much? You remember?

KK: No, I don't.

MH: Where did you go when you were ordered to evacuate?

KK: Portland Assembly Center.

MH: Portland Assembly Center. What did you think of the assembly center?

KK: I thought it was terrible, smell.

MH: How did you get to the Portland Assembly Center?

KK: Went on a school bus.

MH: Did you meet somewhere or did the school bus --

KK: We met at Gresham High School.

MH: At the high school. At the time you told me that Amy was pregnant; is that right?

KK: Yeah.

MH: Did they have doctors at the assembly center?

KK: Yeah, they did.

MH: And did she go to these doctors? What did you do in the assembly center?

KK: I volunteered to be a fireman in the fire patrol.

MH: You were on the fire patrol. Did you get paid for doing that?

KK: Yeah, I think so.

MH: How much?

KK: I forgot.

MH: Somebody said around nine dollars.

KK: Nine dollars, yeah, it could be.

MH: Now did you eat as a family in the assembly center?

KK: We all ate at the mess hall there.

MH: Did your mom and dad live with you at the assembly center?

KK: No.

MH: You had your own.

KK: Yeah, our own.

MH: Okay. For recreation, what did you do at the assembly center?

KK: Play horseshoe.

MH: Played horseshoe. You were there all summer?

KK: All summer, yeah.

MH: And what happened after that?

KK: We were transferred to Minidoka, Idaho.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2003 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.