Life In A US Japanese American Internment Camp | Oregon Experience

00:05:37
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZLGj6BV1Os

概要

TLDRYoji Matsushima recounts his experiences as a Japanese American during World War II, detailing his family's arrest, internment, and eventual repatriation. He reflects on the hardships faced while separated from his parents and the conditions in the camp, which housed a diverse group of families. Despite living under Geneva Convention rules, the family entered a tough period of uncertainty, only to receive minimal support upon their release. The narrative paints a poignant picture of resilience amid adversity.

収穫

  • 👤 Yoji Matsushima shares his life story during WWII.
  • 🏠 Grew up in Nihonmachi, Portland, Oregon.
  • 🚨 Father and uncle arrested on December 11.
  • 💔 Family separated for nearly two years.
  • 🛳️ Repatriated to Japan, seeking family reunion.
  • 🏕️ Internment camp had cabins, not barracks.
  • 🌐 Camp included German, Italian, and Japanese families.
  • 🧊 Delivered groceries, ice, and milk to families.
  • 💵 Upon release, received train ticket and $25.
  • 🎉 April 3, 1946, marked their freedom from the camp.

タイムライン

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:37

    Yoji Matsushima shares his early life in Portland, Oregon, where he grew up in Nihonmachi. His parents had an arranged marriage, with his father born in Japan in 1899 and his mother in 1909. The narrative shifts to a somber moment when both his father and uncle were arrested on December 11, leading to the confiscation of their store's money and his father's imprisonment for two weeks before being transferred to Missoula, Montana.

マインドマップ

ビデオQ&A

  • What was Yoji Matsushima's background?

    He was born in Portland, Oregon, and grew up in Nihonmachi.

  • What happened to Yoji's father and uncle on December 11?

    They were arrested, and money from their store was confiscated.

  • What was the family internment camp like?

    It included German, Italian, and Japanese families, with cabins instead of barracks.

  • How did the camp operate under Geneva Convention rules?

    Families had their own kitchens and received deliveries of groceries, ice, and milk.

  • What assistance did the government provide after Yoji's release?

    They were given a train ticket home and $25.

  • What was significant about April 3, 1946, for Yoji?

    It was the day he and his family left the internment camp, marked by the joy of Mrs. Origami.

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  • 00:00:00
    (somber piano music)
  • 00:00:03
    - My name is Yoji Matshushima.
  • 00:00:06
    I was born in Portland Oregon.
  • 00:00:08
    I grew up in
  • 00:00:11
    Old Town or in Nihonmachi
  • 00:00:14
    on Third and Davis Street.
  • 00:00:16
    That was my home.
  • 00:00:19
    My father was born in Okayama Japan
  • 00:00:23
    1899.
  • 00:00:25
    And my mother was born in 1909.
  • 00:00:29
    It was an arranged marriage.
  • 00:00:32
    (melancholy piano music)
  • 00:00:43
    My father, my uncle
  • 00:00:45
    both got arrested on December the 11th.
  • 00:00:50
    The money from the store was all confiscated.
  • 00:00:54
    They couldn't touch the money.
  • 00:00:56
    He ended up at Rocky Butte Jail
  • 00:01:00
    for about two weeks.
  • 00:01:02
    Then he was transferred to Missoula Montana,
  • 00:01:06
    toward the end of December.
  • 00:01:08
    (somber piano music)
  • 00:01:18
    That was taken in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
  • 00:01:21
    And that picture showed the group from Portland.
  • 00:01:25
    I believe there was about 78
  • 00:01:28
    that were in that picture.
  • 00:01:30
    They were considered POWs, enemy aliens.
  • 00:01:35
    (melancholy piano music)
  • 00:01:40
    We were separated for over two years, almost two years.
  • 00:01:46
    My mother and dad, through the Red Cross,
  • 00:01:51
    communicated.
  • 00:01:53
    And they decided that they were gonna repatriate to Japan,
  • 00:01:59
    during the war.
  • 00:02:00
    I had a brother and a sister in Japan.
  • 00:02:04
    And they wanted the family together.
  • 00:02:07
    And they thought that it might be better if
  • 00:02:10
    we were together.
  • 00:02:12
    (somber piano music)
  • 00:02:15
    You have diplomats,
  • 00:02:21
    people families that were stuck in Japan
  • 00:02:24
    or maybe in somewhere else, like Philippines.
  • 00:02:29
    And they wanted to repatriate, come back.
  • 00:02:33
    They would exchange one prisoner for one,
  • 00:02:37
    one for one.
  • 00:02:40
    There was a Swedish ship called Gripsholm.
  • 00:02:44
    We went from Minidoka to New Jersey.
  • 00:02:49
    And we were by the dockside of the ship.
  • 00:02:54
    And we didn't see my dad.
  • 00:02:57
    He never came out.
  • 00:02:59
    (melancholy piano music)
  • 00:03:10
    Well we found out that we were gonna to go a place called
  • 00:03:12
    Crystal City Texas,
  • 00:03:15
    which is about 40 miles from the border of Mexico.
  • 00:03:20
    And we didn't even know that there was a camp like that.
  • 00:03:25
    It was a family internment camp.
  • 00:03:28
    (somber piano music)
  • 00:03:32
    But we had German families
  • 00:03:34
    and Italian families and Japanese families
  • 00:03:37
    and people from Peru and South America,
  • 00:03:41
    a very interesting group.
  • 00:03:44
    The Germans were segregated from the Japanese,
  • 00:03:49
    not by wire.
  • 00:03:51
    It was just a different area.
  • 00:03:54
    One thing is, we were under the Geneva Convention rules.
  • 00:03:59
    And the best thing about that was that
  • 00:04:02
    instead of barracks, we were in cabins.
  • 00:04:06
    Each family had a kitchen of their own.
  • 00:04:09
    It wasn't much of a kitchen.
  • 00:04:11
    But we had a kerosene stove.
  • 00:04:14
    And we had a icebox,
  • 00:04:16
    a little icebox that they'd deliver ice to everyday.
  • 00:04:22
    And they would deliver milk everyday.
  • 00:04:26
    And my mother would go down to the grocery store
  • 00:04:31
    and buy groceries everyday
  • 00:04:34
    and use special camp money made outta plastic.
  • 00:04:40
    (somber electronic music)
  • 00:04:45
    April the 3rd 1946, I remember that day.
  • 00:04:50
    I remember Mrs. Origami on the bus,
  • 00:04:53
    going to the city of Uvalde Texas to catch our train.
  • 00:04:58
    She was just jumping up and down.
  • 00:05:02
    I didn't think that East Asia ladies would (chuckles)
  • 00:05:07
    do something like that.
  • 00:05:08
    But she was just so happy.
  • 00:05:11
    (melancholy electronic music)
  • 00:05:14
    When we came out from camp,
  • 00:05:17
    the government didn't give us anything.
  • 00:05:21
    They gave us a train ticket home and 25 dollars.
  • 00:05:27
    And that was it.
  • 00:05:28
    (somber electronic music)
タグ
  • Yoji Matsushima
  • internment
  • Japanese Americans
  • World War II
  • family
  • repatriation
  • POWs
  • Geneva Convention
  • Crystal City
  • Uvalde Texas