<Begin Segment 8>

SG: What kind of discrimination did you face?

JO: Well, the way we were treated, certain people over here, not all of them, but I didn't feel too much. I don't know because I worked in the shipyard after the war, and I know that working with them as a carpenter so, I worked on the shipyard for a while.

SG: You were in the South for a while, and what was that like?

JO: In the South? Oh, yeah. There are really discrimination down there. The southern, colored people were, they were all segregated, and we weren't but the colored people was.

SG: What was that experience like?

JO: Well, it's quite an experience that they learn all of that. The southern people and the northern people made me wonder, but at least that we didn't, we weren't treated as, like the colored people, you know.

SG: So where did you fit in? You weren't black or white, so where do you think you fit in, in the South?

JO: Well, we were there with other white people, and we didn't have no problem on that part, when I was taking my basic and stuff.

SG: So you weren't treated, you thought the black people were treated, more discrimination against the blacks?

JO: Yes. That was, yeah. They were discriminated more than we were, yeah.

SG: What was the relationship between blacks and Japanese?

JO: More black, there's black southern people who took basic down in Arkansas. There's a lot of blacks, so, but still they were discriminated. I really don't know how they are now.

SG: How did Japanese feel about the blacks?

JO: Well, we didn't feel any different to me. I mean, I know they were discriminated down there, but I felt, I didn't feel anything, I guess. In fact, when I come back, I worked with the black people, happen to have one black people. I was working with him also, so I didn't, I treated him same as white people.

SG: How did the army treat Japanese Americans?

JO: Army treat, well, I was, no, they treated okay. We had problem sometime, but it depends on the group of people, I guess.

SG: What kind of problems?

JO: Well, they just, I remember one time, his name was Yamaguchi. He was a big husky guy, and somebody made a remark in a bus. And boy, he stopped the bus, and I was in there too. And he got up and stopped the bus and was about to beat 'em all up, I guess, in the bus. Yeah, I'll never forget that. Discrimination, there were people, some were bad towards us. Of course, we were all soldiers also, too. But still, we get discriminated because we're Japanese.

SG: What kind of discrimination?

JO: Well, just trying to associate with them, I guess. Some people just don't want to get along with you.

SG: Did they call you names?

JO: Oh, yeah. They call us name too. I don't recall anybody calling me that way, myself. I know some people have been called that way, but I was always, I was a platoon sergeant, so I was always helping the others in basic training and all that. Besides, I didn't drink too much beer anyway. I know they have trouble sometime, yep, with a beer bust or something, you know. One time, I had a little problem, but they held me back. So I was just about to have trouble one time, I remember.

SG: What kind of trouble?

JO: Oh, that was among our people from the island too, so there's no problem, no.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2003 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.