My mother Hana Horishige was born in Seattle, Washington, and she had attended University of Washington as a pre-med student for two years. Frank Teruo Yabu was also a student at University of Washington, and Hana and Frank decided to get married. Hana and Frank decided to move to San Francisco because her father had disapproved of their marriage. Their first child was Shigeru Yabu, and he was born in San Francisco.

December 1932, my parents and I traveled to Kobe, Japan, and my mother and I returned back to San Francisco six months later. The break up of my parents was never discussed, and I still cannot locate my real father. My mother had to rely on her sister and various baby sitters while she worked as a domestic worker. Fortunately, my mother met Benzo Joe Okada approximately four years later, and they eventually got married. My step father was an illegal alien, so he worked as a domestic worker without a Social Security card. The Immigration Department had caught up with my step father in 1947, and they had contacted all those individuals that he had worked for which was a blessing because everyone gave him such great recommendation. 1952, Mr. Benzo Joe Okada became a proud American citizen.

My mother and father operated the New O.K. Cleaners in San Francisco. When World War II started, we turned over our camera, radio, bayonet which we used for camping, but we could not find a switch blade knife. We were frightened because we were certain that my dad was going to be arrested. As a young boy, I probably played and lost the switch blade knife.

After the Pearl Harbor attack, we were asked to move towards Japanese town. We were expected to go to Tanforan Assembly Camp which was a race track. With our suit cases filled, we were all assembled in front of the Buchannan YMCA in San Francisco. We were assigned to a bus and arrived at the train station. After our train were completely filled, our train slowly started south and passed by Tanforan Race Track, and the train picked up speed. We did not know our destination, but rumors indicated that we were all going to a desert similar to Sahara. As a ten year old boy, I pictured this desert similar to Palm Springs.

As we carried our luggage into Pomona Camp, the Military Police took a long time searching each luggage. I decided to explore around, and 16 kids approached me by asking if I was from Frisco, and naturally I corrected them by stating, "I was from San Francisco." They assured me that I was from fog city, and again I had corrected them. Some of the younger boys started kicking me, and I pretended that I wanted to use the rest room. They called themselves pachuko and yogolei, a slang for gang. This group wanted to beat up this frail kid from San Francisco, so I suggested that I fight one person at a time. The meanest and strongest boy immediately volunteered and said, "Good, you are taking me on." They took me into a shower stall, and I told them that we would both get dirty. They agreed and the group decided to take me couple blocks away and locked me into a empty barrack. I noticed how hot it was while walking, but inside the barrack was like a sauna bath.. The group made certain that I could not escape, and we both met in the middle of the room. He asked me if I knew judo, and I was relieved by telling him absolutely no. Then I felt his strong hands grabbing my white shirt, and he stated that we are going to do judo. As he was counting and ready to throw an hip roll, I put me arms around his neck and we both fell to the floor. I held on for dear life, and it seemed like a life time. My opponent pretended that he was dead and could not breathe, and he whispered that he wanted to give up. I immediately let go, and he jump on me and asked if I gave up. All but three boys were outside the barracks, and for the next four years I pretended that I was not scared of this guy, but it was really an act.

Two families shared one room in Pomona Assembly camp, and we have seen many older folks fainting while standing in the mess hall lines. The fainting was caused by the summer heat. They gave us small packet of sugar for our cereals, and some people would collect sugar in a gallon can. We waited for our food outside and waited inside as well.

As youngsters, we enjoyed going to the barbed wires fence, so we could see the Military Police, guns, dogs, etc. Adults stayed completely away from the barbed wire fence.

Friday evenings majority of the people attended the talent shows. After the show, we had walked through the open field which created so much dust. They had sumo wrestling matches for all ages. Wood carvers made some beautiful birds. They used toothbrush handles to make miniature hearts and geta. The older folks from San Francisco area could not get adjusted to the heat. We were informed later that we may be going to Wyoming, and the older folks warned us about the freezing weather.

Going to Wyoming seemed like a new adventure because we enjoyed watching cowboy movies. We left Pomona Assembly Camp by train, and we arrived at Heart Mountain late October evening. We waited till they called our names, and we were taken to our barracks by a large open truck late one evening. Packed like sardines, it must have been a traumatic and cold ride for the older folks. People must have been extremely tired because no one had said a word.

We received Army blankets, and the only furniture in the barrack were some beds. We had electricity and a fire stove without coal. We soon learned where the rest room and mess hall were located. The rest rooms were located next to the laundry, boiler, coal bin. and empty space called recreation area.

The mess hall was not organized at first, so we had to wait in long lines, especially when they ran out of food. Guess we were not accustomed to eating so much bread and potatoes. Each mess hall had their unique bell which had been rung for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eventually we were given rice, so people quit complaining. We took our own trays to the dish wash area, and again we had to wait to discard our dishes. As time went on the dish washing crew became more efficient but noisier. At the beginning, we were asked to drink the water that was in a big barrel.

People of all ages waited to use the commodes, and people would line up in front of the person going to the toilet right after breakfast. It was apparent that you could not have any privacy. Most of the younger generation lined their toilet seats with toilet paper which caused the toilets to over flow. It was so inconvenient to go to the bathroom at night, so people resorted to making urine holders with an empty gallon can. Early in the morning, you find people carrying cans filled with urine to the rest room.

When we first arrived, there was a huge wood pile near block 7 which was left over by the Heart Mountain construction crew. Families started picking up scrap wood back to their barracks, and that was how most of the furniture, shelves, and crafts were made.

Athletes foot was a problem because it spread rapidly in the shower area. We had a tray filled with a solution that killed germs. Many of us also made and used geta's. Geta is a wooden shoes made out of 2 X 4'5, and rope used between your toes to allow you to walk. During the winter, our wet hair became frozen, and our fingers would stick to the metal door knob because we had to walk outdoors back to our barrack. We had to wait in long lines to get our shots, and you could hear youngsters scream and cry. Rocky Mountain Fever was feared so we all had to get inoculated for tick shots. We had to take a total of 3 shots for prevention of Rocky Mountain fever, plus other immunization shots. We were told that the tick shot needle hurt the most because the needles were extra long. Since no one had died from getting the tick shots, we were more frightened by waiting in the long lines. When we were on a hike, I got a tick on me which was discovered while taking a shower, and I immediately put my shoes on and killed the tick. Someone asked if the tick head was still attached to the body, since I was not certain the next few months were frightening.

School class rooms were crowded at first, so some of us took advantage by acting up, shooting spit wads and firing rubber bands, clowning around, etc. It was embarrassing for me because my mother was the president of the P.T.A. During the winter we would have snow ball fights during recess. Our school was located in upper block 7, and the lower block 7 was our play ground.

We visited friends in other blocks as well as your own. Now when we talk about Heart Mountain, we often ask where were you from and what block were you from. The laundry room was busy during the mornings. When people washed clothes, there were long line because you had to wash your clothes by hand and wash boards. Hanging clothes to dry in the winter was a problem because the clothes would freeze. When the weather was bad, teenagers hung out in the recreation room which was on the opposite end of the laundry room. We pitched pennies, tossed tops, checkers, blind man's bluff, puzzles, and created all sorts of games. No one was seriously injured or killed when we held hands while one person would insert a metal object into the electric socket. The last person. got the biggest electrical jolt. The peer pressure was so great that no one wanted to be called a chicken. We would have contest by spreading our fingers, and using a knife to see how fast we could move a knife between our fingers.. During the summer, we played different types of marble games such as chase, ring, fish, and made spectacular obstacle courses along the side of the barracks. Our hands got so chapped that our knuckles and hand would bleed, and we used petroleum Vaseline to eliminate the chapped hands. Played football, softball, basketball, capture the flag, kick the can, and many more. During the winter, they made ice skating rink between the lower and upper block, and people had shared ice skates. Most of the skates were too big for the younger folks, so we would stuff the ice skates with cotton. When we had snow, we would slide down the hill with cardboards or just our shoes.

The high school and college age had dances, and sometimes you would see a servicemen attending. We had an Arts and Crafts class, and our favorite project was a wood heart, and we cut the hearts with a coping saw. Our instructor made us file and sand the project before we were able to shellac our project. The instructor drew Heart Mountain on our heart project. We enjoyed making sling shots, and we used the sling shots for hunting and target shooting. We enjoyed making animal traps, but it never seemed to work. Because there were no side walks, our shoes would get muddy when it rained. People became very creative by making various ways to remove the mud off our shoes. Even coke caps nailed to a wood was used to remove mud off our shoes. We often had severe dust storms which made everything dusty, and you could see tumble weeds drifting by our barracks.

Fashion clothes and hair style was a big thing among teenagers. Some of the older boys grew duck tails and had crew cuts. L.B. hair grease, Vitalis hair tonic, Wildroot Cream Oil, and Three Flowers were some of there favorites. Many of the younger boys received haircuts from their parents or neighbors. Many kids got teased when they had a hair line as if a bowl was used on their head, and they called this type of haircut chamba head. Clothing was ordered mainly through catalogs such as Montgomery Wards, J.C. Penny's, and Sears Roebuck. We soon learned about long and short John underwear, ear muffs, hats, mackinaw jackets, Levi's, T-shirts, scarfs, gloves, etc. Our parents sewed up our torn clothing, but we were all in the same boat.

Summer was our favorite time, and we first started swimming in ditches, canal, Shoshone River, and finally they made a swimming pool in Heart Mountain camp. They used the ditch water for the swimming pool. I had a friend that nearly drowned while swimming in the Shoshone River. We found a small stream which we swam in until we saw a rattle snake swimming near us. Queenie Shiba was the fastest swimmer in camp. We had one diving board which we all used. Some of the swimmers would bring potatoes and cover it with mud, and place the potatoes in a bon fire. There's nothing better than over cooked potato after a long swim. We enjoyed listening to ukulele and singing Hawaiian and hit parade songs. We enjoyed sun bathing, and the young generation thought that getting sun burned and dark was considered healthy.

Our theater was a barrack in block 8, and we also had a canteen which resemble a small drug store. We enjoyed the canteen because we could purchase ice cream. When we attended the theater, the kids sat in front, and we enjoyed the horror, cowboys and Indians, serials and cartoons. Because the theater was so crowded the barrack became hot and stuffy. Going to the movies was a great way to meet the opposite sex.

They had live entertainment in the mess hall, and we enjoyed the band, singers, plays, musicians, etc. People of all ages participated Bon Odori dance, but many of us young boys hated Bon Odori dances. Leaders enticed us to participate in the Bon Odori dances by giving us rice bails. Young boys enjoyed cussing to be accepted by the older guys. They had very small library for us to use. Church services were conducted for all denomination. Sam Yamoto and I decided to attend church during a blizzard storm, and Sam wanted to lay down and go to sleep. I forced Sam to return back to the boiler room, and later found out about his frost bite on his face.

It was hard to get out of the gate at first, but later we could sneak out. We enjoyed going to the Shoshone River. Many of us had joined the Boy Scouts, and we did stay overnight at the Shoshone River. I remember a Patrol Leader that was stung by a scorpion. When Sergeant Ben Kuroki had visited Heart Mountain, we greeted him with a march. Sergeant Ben Kuroki was a tail gunner and flew 28 missions over Germany. Sergeant Kuroki fought in Africa and his plane ran out of fuel in Morocco. He was captured and became a P.O.W., but he had escaped. He then volunteered to go to the Pacific.

The boiler room was great place to socialize, and we enjoyed melting icicles against the boiler. We had a fly epidemic, so any person killing and collecting dead flies can earn war bond stamps. I don't know if anyone had participated, but Shig Yabu had killed over 250 flies by the mess hall garbage cans. The high school students had an opportunity to earn 10 cents a gunny sack by picking potatoes. Shig was the only 8th grader, so the instructor told me that I could pick potatoes but could not guarantee whether I would be paid, I had picked more potatoes sacks than any high school student. I tucked one side of the gunny sack into my waist, and crawled on my knees and using two hands to pick potatoes. Even though I did not get paid, helping the farmers was considered a patriotic thing to do for our country. .

Our next door neighbor worked on farms, and he when the crop was completed he would visit his family. He brought home bed bugs which affected the entire barrack. They sprayed our entire barrack with D.D.T. which eliminated the bed bugs.

Boys enjoy playing with pocket knives, and we spent many hours playing cut the pie. First you draw a circle and make a line in the middle. You throw your knife into the ground, and you attempt to cut up the pie. The person that has the most territory wins.

Our next door neighbor closed the flute to his hot stove which caused a small fire in our barrack. The Fire Department thought the fire came from our compartment, so they soaked our room. We were grateful that the Heart Mountain Fire Department saved our barrack. Young boys wanted to be accepted by older boys, so we tried to impress them with more profanity. We first started by smoking toilet paper. When we visited the canal that was frozen, the older boys came out with real cigarettes, and we were encouraged to smoke. A guy that could inhale and make smoke rings was respected at that time. Many of the adults smoked, and it appeared to be the fashionable thing to do.

Many of us were involved in various fist fights at one time or another, but it didn't take us long before we became friends again.

Estelle Ishigo, the author of Lone Heart Mountain. It is people like Estelle that really knew the meaning of Lone Heart Mountain. Arthur Ishigo was our boilerman for lower block 14. Mr. and Mrs. Ishigo were the last person leaving Heart Mountain. The Heart Mountain football and basketball teams played against other high schools throughout Wyoming. We all enjoyed watching Heart Mountain teams participate. The eighth graders were allowed to play tackle football, and we used oversize football equipment. The entire 8th graders played tackle football at the same time.

Hundreds of spectators would watch baseball, and the Fresno and San Jose baseball teams had the best reputation in camp. Babe Nomura and Tosh Asano were known as the best softball pitchers in camp. Babe and Tosh played against each other, and they both were our idols.

I was only 10 to 14 years old when I was in camp, so I remember mostly the fun activities. I am certain that the elderly had suffered the most. Families cramped up in one room was an hardship. We had no knowledge how long we were going to stay. We could only bring in what we could carry. We could not wait to get out of camp, but there were hardships after getting out of camp such as housing and occupation.

I would personally like to commend and congratulate the Heart Mountain Wyoming Board of Directors and Support Groups from various places. Thanking you for printing the true story about my Maggie in your newsletter, it certainly made me realize how we had occupied our time.

It is interesting that for fifty years, I never talked about camp. Once a teacher asked us to write an essay about your past, and the teacher requested that I should never write about my experience regarding our experiences in camp.

Many individuals planted flowers in front of their barrack, and they had to carry water in buckets in order to keep the plants alive. Some of us use to go fishing in the Shoshone River. I have seen some pretty big rainbow trout caught by others, and I only caught mudsuckers.

When people started to leave Heart Mountain, we use to go and wish them well when they departed. The camp started to look like a ghost town as people left, and it was like a dream when it was our turn to leave. Regardless of which camp you were at, I am hoping that you too can share your experiences.

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