Hank Umemoto

HANK UMEMOTO
Family # 8648
Camp: Manzanar, CA
Address: 30-2-3

Uncertainty filled the air as we departed the farm in Florin which our parents had and devoted 32 years in to making and accepted the evacuation as just another formidable interruption in our lives. I would rather have the Japanese Americans go down in history as people who endured the wartime incident peacefully with dignity and determination, rather than be pitied as a victim of injustice; and hope that Manzanar be a reminder that freedom is not a right to be taken for granted, but a privilege which is tested time and again through the fiery furnace of time.

We boarded up the windows and took our ancestor’s Samurai swords and hid them under the house rather than having them con­fiscated. Being curious as to the destiny of my friends, I visited them only to find that they were going to Fresno and Pinedale Assembly Centers. Being a typi­cal 13-year-old teenager, the circle of friends was my whole universe, and realizing the vacuum, the whole world seemed to collapse before my eyes. The world which Ryosuke and Kusu visualized as the land of opportunity for their five children had also abruptly dissipated with the declaration of the war and the Umemoto Family was now Number 8648, destined for an unknown desert community called Manzanar, and never to return home again.

Enclosed by barbed wire at 30-2-3 (later 30-14-3), I knew that I was a prisoner, augmenting confusion and frustration of a teenager with hostility and rebellion. As the jeep passed by, I yelled “F— you!” The MP brought the jeep to a quick halt and I was soon staring into the barrel of a rifle. “What’s your name?” he questioned. “Hank,” I replied. “And what did you say?” I lied with a trembling voice, “N..N..Nothing.” But as I gained new friends and became occupied with a variety of camp activities, the hostility and rebellion which I initially harbored during the first 24 hours began to subside and eventually disappear, leaving in its aftermath fond and cherished memories of experi­ences which I shared with so many at Manzanar.

Leaving Manzanar with three friends on a short term leave to work in Stockton, we boarded the train at Mojave and were ushered into the men’s lounge instead of regular seats. On our return trip, I was kicked by a porter since my foot was protrud­ing into the aisle. At the LA bus depot, we were denied taxi service. The thought never entered our young naïve minds that this could be an act of discrimina­tion until a Marine said, “Konichiwa.” “Konichiwa,” I replied. He looked at his buddy and said, “Yeah, he’s a Jap!” with an air of arrogance and continued to stroll down Broadway. Back at Manzanar, the “outside world” appeared bleak and horrifying, and I realized that the warm, sheltered, and carefree camp life would soon be over and Manzanar would be but a memory.

Block 30 Trivia
Date Occupied: May 25, 1942
Population: Approximately 300
Issei Residents: Approximately 95 persons - General Issei Age Range: 38-65 years
Nisei & Sansei: Approximately 205 persons - General Nisei & Sansei Age Range: 1-32 years
Evacuees were strawberry and grape growers from Florin, CA area, which had a population of approximately 2,500 in 1942. They were evacuated to Manzanar Relocation Center, Poston Relocation Center in AZ, Rowher Relocation Center in AR, and Tule Lake Relocation Center in Northern California.

Block 30 Athletic Teams
Rangers: Young Adults – Softball, Baseball, Basketball
Falcons: High School – Softball, Basketball
Mikado Midgets – Junior High School – Softball, Basketball

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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