Tadashi Tatsui: A Boy Among Manzanar's First Arrivals

Before the war

Tadashi Tatsui's father came to the United States from Hiroshima in 1919 with his two older brothers; his mother followed. Like most immigrants, his father worked at many jobs — farming, a produce stand, gardening.

Tadashi was in junior high school in Los Angeles when the war began, and interested in every sport going.

After Pearl Harbor

Rumors of camps, and of Japanese American disloyalty, spread fast. Tadashi and his brother stayed close to home.

His worst moment was sitting in homeroom while President Roosevelt's declaration of war was broadcast. He was stunned — but his teacher put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't feel bad, we know you had nothing to do with Pearl Harbor."

When his uncle was ordered to Manzanar, his father volunteered to go with his younger brother. The family sold — practically gave away — everything they could not carry.

• The boys tried to sell their new bicycles, but merchants knew they were desperate and would not offer even a quarter of their worth.
• A friend of his father's from the insurance business was visiting, felt sorry for them, and bought both at a fair price.

Arriving at Manzanar

They went straight to the train depot in Los Angeles. Tadashi carried his one-year-old sister and a cloth bag so the others could manage their two allotted suitcases or bags each — mostly clothes. It was a grim trip, even though it was April Fools' Day.

• They were among the first to arrive. Only six blocks had been built — the camp would grow to 36 — and they were put in Block 6.
• So much topsoil had been scraped away that everything was dusty.
• The five of them shared one small room, with little privacy.
• Armed military police were always in sight, in Jeeps and in the watchtowers.

Camp life

As the camp grew, schools and churches opened. Friends from Los Angeles arrived, and they formed a club for baseball, football and basketball and for church.

A few teachers were dedicated — he remembered a blind speech teacher who patiently taught them to pronounce "th" and "r." But the curriculum was thin, and planning for college was hard. Being young, he thought, he endured camp better than the older people and parents.

Chicago

His brother graduated from high school in camp and went to Chicago to look for work. Once he had a job and an apartment, the family followed. Chicago accepted them with little prejudice.

• Tadashi was still in high school but far behind the other students, and had to work part-time after school to support himself — the family left Manzanar with very little money.
• His brother became the head of the family; his father's skills as a farmer and gardener were of no use in Chicago.
• Tadashi went from part-time to full-time at the same plant, and tried auto repair school without success.

Only after the Korean War could he use the GI Bill to go to college. He earned a BA and an MA from the University of Illinois.

His advice

Be careful and watchful that it never happens again. Taking away people's rights as citizens because of their race, or because they look a little different, is unconstitutional.

Sources

Based on "Tadashi Tatsui," one of the ID booklets of Manzanar National Historic Site, National Park Service, written by park rangers with the people profiled and their families; the booklet's first-person account is retold here, with short quotations. The booklet closes with "Wind and Dust," a poem written at Manzanar in 1943 by George Nishimura, age 16, which is not reproduced. For more on the ten camps, see the Park Service's "War Relocation Centers."