Bill Susumu Taketa

BILL SUSUMU TAKETA
Family # 8584
Camp: Manzanar, CA
Address: 30-5-1

My father came to California as a young man about 1913 from Hiroshima, Japan to join his father who was settled in the Florin area. My mother, also from Hiroshima, came to California about 1923. I was born in Florin on September 27, 1926, followed by my brother in 1930, and a sister in 1932. My father died in 1936 leaving my mother to raise three children. It was a difficult time for all of us during the post-depression era.

The local community had a segregated elementary school for Japanese American students. I attended the segregated school until the 1939-40 school year. The school was finally integrated when I was in eighth grade.

During my freshman year at the Elk Grove High School, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and World War II began. We experienced many difficult times at school until our evacu­ation May 30, 1942. I never had an op­portunity to develop white friends since we attended segre­gated school. It was difficult to be sepa­rated from lifelong friends and classmates you made as a young person.

We sold everything we could and stored the rest at the Japanese Methodist Church in Florin. The community of Florin and the surrounding area were evacuated into four different camps (Fresno Assembly Center, Manzanar, Poston, and Tule Lake). Our family was ordered to Manzanar along with 396 evacuees. Except for my mother’s aunt’s family, all other rela­tives were scattered into two different camps.

Our family was as­signed to Block 30, Bar­rack 5, Apartment 1. We made do with what we were assigned since we had nothing except what we carried. We made the best of a difficult situation during our three years in the square mile camp bordering US Highway 395.

The high school kept me oc­cupied and out of mischief and I made new friends. My idle times were spent play­ing basketball and baseball for our block teams. I did not participate in class functions or school club activities since I worked part time to help the family finances. During the summer months I worked at the camouflage factory. My mother worked as a kitchen helper.The educators taught us not to dwell in the past, but to look toward the new and better future. I graduated with the Class of ’45 on May 1945.

After graduation, I left Manzanar for seasonal farm work in Ontario, OR. My stay outside was of short duration since I received my draft induction notice. The army sent me to Camp Hood, TX. The war ended while I was still taking basic training. During my training, an army recruiter seeking Japanese Americans with Japanese language skill, volunteered me for the Military Intelligence Service Language School at Fort Snelling, MN.

After my service time I returned to Florin where our family had resettled. We all pitched in to start all over again. I worked at odd jobs while attending night classes at Heald’s Business College with GI Bill tuition program. I finally found my career in banking with Bank of America. They provided me educational opportunity to attend SMU during three summers to further my advancement in banking. I retired after 31 years of service. Now I am on my eighth year on a second career as a babysitter for my two grandchildren.

I had a wonderful life in spite of many adversities beyond my control. America is truly a land of op­portunity for those who accept the challenge to build a better future for all its citizens.

Wind and Dust
This wind and dust I have to bear
How hard it blows I do not care.
But when the wind begins to blow – ­
My morale is pretty low.
I know that I can see it through
Because others have to bear it too.
So I will bear it with the rest
And hope the outcome is the best.
– George Nishimura, age 16 (Manzanar, 1943)

Read this to learn more about the demographics of each of the ten facilities administered by the War Relocation Authority.

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