Interviews with Japanese in Utah: Grace Oshita

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Grace Oshita 2-26-85 s3:17 L Thinking back on those times. GO It's true that we never wrote anything that might incriminate him. Although there was no reason to do that. I mean. He hadn't done any­thing to be arrested or be repatriated or be treated like an enemy alien. But. It's true - we always sounded - made our letters sound maybe exceptionally patriotic. And L Cheerful maybe? GO. Yes. I remember our visit to my aunt's family in Oakland for the last time. The day that my father wasarrested and - or the day after, --In fact, the day that my father was arrested,many others were. It wasn't justone or two a day that they ~rested people. It was in spurts. There would be: The day after Pearl Harbor and then another day in January perhaps and another day, Washington Day. Round up type of thing. And My mother foundout that they were all being kept at the Immigration OFfice on Army Street. The San Francisco Immigration Office. And so. Also there wer rumours they would be shipped wt. Or, you know, bussed out the next day. So very early in the morning, we drove out there.And the men were already on the busses. And we saw one man , a friend of ours from Salinas, on one bus. Andi've always called my Father Otosi, you know, Father in Japanese. And I called for him and~ mother and my grandmother were calling for Eddy-Eddy. Cause that's his English name. Andone of our friends said-­he pointed to a bus behind him. And said, he's way in theback. So we ran from one bus to the next, looking for him. But unfortunately, we weren't able to seemm. And in my first letter to him, I wrote that.