<Begin Segment 2>

SG: So when your mom came over here, she left her two sons in Japan?

HU: Yes.

SG: So you have two half brothers, and then you have other siblings that were born in the United States?

HU: Yes. I have two brothers and two sisters.

SG: When you went back to, you moved back to Katsuura, you said, and how long did you stay in Katsuura?

HU: Until I was fourteen years old.

SG: And what was it like growing up in Katsuura?

HU: I grew up like any other Japanese boy, and not knowing too much about my background, born in America. That much I knew, but American citizenship or Japanese citizenship and that type of thing. I just grew up like any other boys. Until my seventh grade, the war broke out between Japan and America, and I was at this classroom there, and teacher was telling me, or telling us that war broke out between two countries, and I was fearful that my mother was going to hear the news, so I got permission from the teacher, then hurried back to the home and tried to comfort her. But my mother was just sitting home after hearing news, just motionless, so I tried to comfort her, but no words came out. And I... sorry about the tears coming out from my eyes. I remember Mother saying, "Masuo," which is my Japanese name, "Taihen no koto natta," that means it's terrible, that we don't know what's going to happen to us. And I just trying to tell her that, "It's going to be all right, it's going to be all right, nothing going to happen." But anyway, after that, she said, "You and your sister are American citizen, so don't say anything to anybody, just behave yourself, be a good boy, good student." And then we may be investigated by police or FBI, I mean the kempei is Japanese version of FBI... and nothing happened. I'm sure that they've been observing us or investigating through other people, but we're good citizens there, so nothing happens. And I was seventh grade and class president. And when I asked permission to go home after hearing the news, the war, even my teacher didn't know I was American citizen. And so after that, I remained as class president. They didn't do anything about it. And I, in the eighth grade, I was appointed as entire school student president. So in other words, they treated me as just natural, the Japanese boy.

SG: How did you feel inside at that time? Did you feel any conflict, or what was your feelings?

HU: You know, that age, you just, I grew up as just like American, I mean Japanese boy, and you know, you don't really think about the conflict between two countries and the war. And I just, life just went on, and I was busy participating in sports, physical trainings. And of course, when I was fourth grade, we started receiving military trainings, simple ones, how to march, how to handle the rifles, and that type of thing. But at the seventh grade, we're busy for training ourselves for the kendo, the fencing, the bayonet trainings, and the sports like baseball and small wrestling, that type of thing. It's a very ordinary, ordinary life, and I didn't really think too much that two countries' relationship.

SG: And your friends at that time, they didn't know you're an American citizen?

HU: They find out. But, we grew up together, so nobody mistreat me, just the same as, just other friends, so I was fortunate for that.

SG: Did your sisters have the same experience also?

HU: Sister was in Osaka, you know. She was, she got the job in Osaka upon graduation of eighth grade, and so I don't think nobody disturbed her. And she didn't have to, tell people that she was American citizen. Situations never called for it, so she spent her life actually same as just Japanese girl.

SG: And your brothers also?

HU: My brothers, brother left Japan, and came over to United States after he graduated from the eighth grade, elementary school. I was two years old. So at that time, just my mother and myself was living in a big house; so my sister in Japan, I mean Osaka, and my brother in Oregon.

SG: Do you know why your brother decided to come back to the United States?

HU: His English is relatively fluent because he was a big boy when he returned to Japan, so he decided to come over here and make money and support Mother. So that's the reason he decided to come.

SG: So he's basically sending money back to your mom?

HU: Oh, yes, not a great deal of money. He attended, I believe, Franklin High School for a couple years and working in the night and the summer logging camp, that type of things. And he made a way, and occasionally he sent just few dollars to Mother, that's all.

SG: Who did he stay with when he first came? He was in eighth grade you said when he first came back?

HU: Yes. He just stayed, somehow I never know exactly how he spent his life, but probably apartment or for labor. And we grew up being poor, so he could endure any hardship. [Laughs]

SG: So where are your brothers and sisters now?

HU: You know, this I have to go back to my childhood too. When we lost Father, or to my mother's husband, this was her second tragic marriage, and she determined that just, it's best to go back to Japan and still relatives out there, maybe, provided a helping hand raising the five kids. But Pendleton Japanese community is relatively large I understood, and quite a few families from the same town of my father's came from, and they proceeded to... first was the marriage, there is the single men, you know. But she decided, "No, this is, I had enough." Then they also told her that, "Why don't you give up a couple children? These couples are from the same town, childless, so they'll good care of your children." And she resisted, but finally said yes because of the uncertainty of her future and other kids, so this couple was relatively well to do, the couple is working. They're financially well off. So she finally said yes and with the promise of, to couple, they take good care of them.

SG: So they stayed --

HU: Stayed in Pendleton. Then three of us, three of us kids, oldest ones; oldest son and oldest daughter and youngest.

SG: And I forgot to ask you earlier, but how did your father die?

HU: Pneumonia, I hear. He become ill. But being farmer, he was pushing little hard, and it's a matter of two weeks, he was gone.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2003 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.