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Reiko, who once lived in the
Japanese internment
camps, was born in San
Lorenzo, California in 1932. In his family, there were a
father, a mother, four boys and three girls. They lived in
Oakland, California. Most of the children
were attending school when the command to relocate
all the Japanese Americans came. The family was
sent to an
assembly center called
Tanforan Race Track in San Bruno, California. Reiko
and his family could take clothes and
personal
possessions.
Everything else was left behind. The sleeping quarters
contained of two white washed horse stalls. There
were metal
cots, and
army blankets in the sleeping quarters.
Others rooms, such as bathrooms and dining halls
were located in different buildings. There was also
an individual building for meals. In the camps,
Japanese Americans were usually served organ meats,
like kidneys, livers and hearts.
One barrack in the entire was used as a store, another used as a movie theater, and another as a library. Although some people had pets, Reiko didn't think pets were allowed in the camps because a man was shot trying to fetch his dog. Jobs in the internment camps paid from twelve to nineteen dollars every month. Medical doctors were paid about nineteen dollars per month. The kids in the camps went to school which was held in appointed barracks. In school, Reiko learned formation marching, volleyball and basketball. Japanese Americans in internment camps also had the opportunity to be in other activities like piano. Reiko took piano lessons but then had to quit because his family didn't have a piano for him to practice on. Reiko's brother left the internment camp to work in a factory in Ohio. His two sisters left the camp to work as maids in Minnesota, and eventually, all his brothers went to Minnesota. When the camp closed in 1945, the rest of the family joined them. Reiko changed from the school inside the camp and went to a school outside. He got scared that someone would call him derogatory names, such as "Jap." Reiko said that adjustment to life outside of the internment camp was complicated. Japanese Americans should not have gone to internment camps. Reiko and his family can be described as brave because of the experiences they went through. Japananese Internment
Camps: |
