Interviews
Traveling from Manila to Tokyo
They took us out to the airport. I said, “Wow, where am I going to go out to the airport?” There’s a plane sitting out there, and here come some other trucks. There were, oh, I’d say about twenty of us got on that plane. The officer came aboard, he was a lieutenant. No high ranking officer. And we didn’t say a word, nothing to him. He said, “I bet you all want to know where we’re going.” He said, “I don’t know where we’re going either. And I hope the pilot knows where we’re going.” But he says, “As soon as we get off the ground, I can open up my orders.” So he opened it up about, it could have been a half an hour later, after we were up in the air. He says, “We’re going to Tokyo.” I said this guy is pulling our leg, going to Tokyo. That would be the last place you’d think we’d go. That’s where we ended up, we went to Tokyo.
Date: February 6, 2015
Location: California, US
Interviewer: John Esaki
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
Explore More Videos
Kindergarten in Davao, Philippines
(b. 1938) Philipines-born hikiagesha who later migrated to the United States.
Family was shipped back to Japan after the war
(b. 1938) Philipines-born hikiagesha who later migrated to the United States.
Coming to California
(1916 - 2013) Member of the U.S. Military Intelligence Service
Life in the Philippines
(b. 1938) Philipines-born hikiagesha who later migrated to the United States.
Learning Japanese with the MIS
(1916 - 2013) Member of the U.S. Military Intelligence Service
Camouflage Net Weaving in Manzanar
Japanese American animator for Walt Disney and Hanna Barbera (1925-2007)
Miscommunications
(1916 - 2013) Member of the U.S. Military Intelligence Service
Writing Letters
(1916 - 2013) Member of the U.S. Military Intelligence Service
Developing Art Skills in Camp
Japanese American animator for Walt Disney and Hanna Barbera (1925-2007)
Return to Los Angeles
Japanese American animator for Walt Disney and Hanna Barbera (1925-2007)
Walter O’Malley’s philosophy
Former Director of Asian Operations for Los Angeles Dodgers
Grandparents were incarcerated in Jerome, Arkansas
(b. 1952) Former banking executive, born in Hawaii
Memories of the ship heading to the U.S.
(b. 1938) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City
Grandfather's business in Hawaii while in camp
(b. 1952) Former banking executive, born in Hawaii