<Begin Segment 12>

AC: How would you describe your father?

PS: Well, he was a rugged individual, I think. He worked in the sawmills at one time, and I say "rugged" because he got part of his ear cut off working in the mill. And I guess maybe that cured him from working in those sawmills, and so he got a farm, started farming. But I think it's about the time when my mother was carrying me as one of the twins, before I was born. He got kicked by a horse, so he was in the hospital recovering, and so the neighbors had to come and help out. He was a pretty rugged individual, I think, worked hard, and he liked to drink once in a while. But he wasn't a drunkard as I remember it. I don't know, others may have a different recollection of him, but that's the way I remember it. I think he was probably in the military when he was a younger person, maybe up in Manchuria. I don't know. It was something he hardly ever talked about. But he had learned some English from being over here, so he was a strong individual. But the accident he had being kicked, and then smoking roll your own, and maybe some of his drinking, anyway, the combinations weren't that good on him, so he passed away in 1949. Yeah, I think that's the way it was.

AC: What did he like to drink?

PS: Sake, I think. I think that was what most of the Isseis, the first generation, I think that's about what they had exposure to. I think they brewed their own, and maybe if they felt wealthy enough, they'd go buy some whiskey or something. That's about the way I remember it.

AC: Did your dad make his own sake, brew his own sake?

PS: No, I don't remember. I kind of think he did. It wasn't a big thing in our family, so I don't know. Seemed like there's be a jug of sake sitting around the house, and where it came from, I don't know. I wasn't curious enough, I guess. I remember at some parties, why, there'd be a little bit left, sake in somebody's cup, and I'd sneak it. I guess to this day, I get red in the face drinking sake. It just doesn't agree with me. I'm allergic to alcohol. Even in the military, after I finished a counterintelligence session, we had a party, and I drank so many beers that night that I just can't drink beer ever since. But, of course, back then, I think the beer, during the military, the beer was pretty green and it didn't matter. You just got a hold of some and drank it. That was a thing that was going on then. But I've got my allergies to it, anyway. And it's probably a good thing I can't drink, even to this day. I'll take a sip of scotch, that's it, that's about my limit. Like my brother-in-law, Dr. Gus, says, the Japanese, American Indians, and the Irish are allergic to alcohol because of a lack of some enzyme in their systems. I guess it's true, because they used to talk about American Indians always getting red, and it's true, some of the Irish, too. I'm one of those individuals that can't handle that alcohol.

AC: So when did your father immigrate to the United States?

PS: I don't know. Maybe... did you happen to ask that of my brother this morning? [Laughs] Oh, gosh. I just don't know.

AC: How would you describe your mother?

PS: That's an interesting question. My father, I think, grew up in the same community over in Fukushima city, that particular area. I guess my mother... she always said her mother was a saint, because the father was kind of a community drunk as I understand it. She always was a strong woman and took care of him. And I guess that my mother got that kind of a strong character from her mother. She never was one, not to complain, she accepted things as they come, and always tried to look on the bright side. Always hard working. She had some... I think she went to the sixth grade or something in school. She had a strong character, strong beliefs. I remember when my brother Joe and I both went off into the service, one of the things she, last things she said was, "Sekai no tame ni." And loosely translated, I guess it would be, "Do something good for the world." And Brother and I used to, have talked about it down through the years, and kind of made fun of it, but still, it's a pretty strong statement that we remember her saying. At least for me it's one of the things that I remember pretty well. "Don't lie, don't dishonor your family's name," that kind of thing. The last thing she said when I went off to service, "Sekai no tame ni." Strange kind of things that you remember. [Laughs]

<End Segment 12> - Copyright © 2004 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.