Transcript

Interviewer: Now, was your younger brother, end up in the service, too?

Taketo Omoto: Yeah, my… the other brother too, Mas. He, he served in the 442, overseas. My younger brother, Sada, he, I don’t know when he got drafted, maybe ’45. He went to MIS, and then he went to occupation in Japan and Korea.

Interviewer: So, there were… were there four of you in the war?

Taketo Omoto: Yes, there was four of us in the army.

Interviewer: Now, while you were in the army, what was happening with your mother then?

Taketo Omoto: Well, I didn’t know where they went, when I went to Minnesota. So I contacted Red Cross and they told me there, they looked it up. You know, at that time they’re… I guess they were in, on a train to Manzanar, or at Manzanar, or somethin’. They finally got to me, back to me, and told me where my mother was, mother and two brothers. I was kinda worried where they were. But seemed…

Interviewer: So, did, did your mother stay in camp when all four of you were in the army then?

Taketo Omoto: Yes, my mother stayed all that time. She didn’t, she transferred to Minidoka when they’re… you know, people wanted to go

Interviewer: How were you able to get into camp to visit your mother, then?

Taketo Omoto: Well, later on, when it opened up… you know, I was in station hospital in Camp Trotter, and they had… people who wanted to visit a certain area, we signed up and if there was a patient to be discharged we kinda took ’em along, I mean, watched him over and discharge him. One went to Grandview, Washington, and I took one to Walla Walla because he had tuberculosis, I think. And from there I took a short leave to Minidoka to visit.

Interviewer: So, so what did you, what did you think when you got to Minidoka and went into Minidoka? Did you have any thoughts or feelings about finding your mother there?

Taketo Omoto: No, you know, I had only a short stay there en route, so, we just see my mother. I was happy. I didn’t get to do much there, but, I noticed the condition there. I think it wasn’t type of the… part of the day that was miserable, but it was a pretty clear day. And I just enjoyed my visit and then went back. I went there twice, I believe. Different times escorted a prison–, I mean, a patient home.