Oral History S-T

SUSUMU SATOW

The Oral History of Sus Satow contains considerable history of the 100/442 Regimental Combat Team in action in Livorno, Bruyeres, Arno River, etc., and of Sadao Munemori, the Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Sus himself received the Bronze Star Medal for "meritorious service in combat" Sus was born and has resided in Sacramento except for the time in Poston Relocation Center, working on Idaho and Colorado sugar beet harvests and with the highly decorated 442 RCT in Europe. He was an active committee member in the planning and actual construction of the Poston Memorial Monument and Kiosk. He is active in Nisei VFW Post 8985, CSUS Library Japanese American Archival Collection Committee, and 100/442/MIS Memorial Foundation in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles .

EADA SILVERTHORNE 

Eighty-eight years old Caucasian woman supporting work of lawyer husband which included working among the internees at Tule Lake Camp. She worked there six months with Japanese Americans about the Loyalty Questionnaire and she taught a year at the high school. A child of Mormon missionaries with education at Brigham Young University and Cal State Sacramento, she understood minorities and related well. Tule Lake riots, breaking up of Families because of the loyalty questions, the Kibei situation were stressful but she expresses satisfaction with her teaching of English, Drama to the internee children. She retired after 17 years at San Juan High School . Community activities include officer positions with League of Women Voters and the PTA.

NOBORU TAGUMA 

An account of a 20-years-old Nisei who resisted the Army draft because his family was unconstitutionally interned during WW II. There are 3 pages of photos, 99 pages of text and 5 pages of documents. With just a high school education and of a farm family, Taguma resisted the draft and renounced American citizenship which was restored by presidential pardon, Christmas, 1948, along with 281 other resisters. All the resisters suffered years of ostracism and were treated as outcasts, even by own Japanese American community, but his own family stood by him. Passage of time lessens such feelings--nourishing hope and understanding. In a mood of reconciliation, the 1990 San Diego National JACL adopted a resolution recognizing the stand of the draft resisters and "they too, deserve a place of honor and respect in the history of Americans of Japanese ancestry"

TSUNE TAHARA

An interview with very old (96) Japanese-speaking Issei woman, 10th child of a samurai, assisted by son Shiro and friend Kinya Noguchi. Two pages of photos are followed by 90 pages of English text and then 74 pages in roma-ji (Japanese phrases in English). The general drift seems for Mrs. Tahara that the two husbands she had were not much help as she separated from first husband after a short marriage and the second husband died early (1957) leaving her with the responsibility of raising six children. All her life was spent in Florin area except the WW II years were spent in Jerome-Rohwer camps. Four of the sons served in the US Army. One died in France making her a Gold Star Mother, and his life insurance as well as the Redress money were a great help. Returning from internment camp she found the vineyard mostly dead and house broken into having to start all over, again. 

BENJI TAKAHASHI 

A young English-speaking Methodist Sansei minister interviews a very elderly (95) Japanese-speaking Methodist Issei. Assisting with the interpreting is wife, Florence , and daughter Naomi. There are 4 pages of photos, 25 pages of text with some of the responses in roma-ji (Japanese phrases in English). Benji indicates he is happy to be living in a small Christian town like Loomis where he and Florence (Takagishi) were married in 1926. He came from Japan at age 20 and worked at his uncleís Loomis general store all the time except for a couple of years he was forced into Tule Lake-Amache Relocation Centers. And of necessity working in the general store he became tri-lingual by speaking Japanese, English and Spanish. His hobby was hiiku and fishing.

PAUL TAKEHARA

This Nisei (73) is a strictly Sacramento or Florin resident except for the WW II period. He served in the military from March 1941 - December 1945 and never spent any time in a Relocation Center . He was at many military bases in several states and did a short stint in Europe . Family was in Tule Lake camp and wife lived in Chicago . They resettled in Florin where two sons and a daughter were born and raised. He was active in the Florin JACL serving as president many times and worked hard for Redress. Also, he is a charter member of Nisei Post VFW 8985 and was Commander 1954-55 and member of the Mayhew Baptist Church . He was in grocery business and sold insurance during his later years before retirement.