Jun Okimoto

JUN OKIMOTO
Family # 3690
Camp: Manzanar, CA
Address: 31-1-4

We lived in Glendale, CA, before we were evacuated to Manzanar War Relocation Center. My father was a gardener and my mother ran a boarding house for men working at the fruit stands and as gardeners. I attended Hoover High School and participated in football and track.

When we were evacuated to Manzanar we were allowed only two suitcases or packages that we could carry. Our family had to abandon household goods, such as ice box, stove, furniture, etc. I turned in my .22 caliber rifle to the Glendale Police Department.

We were sent to Manzanar on brand new school buses from a train station in Glendale. A military policeman was assigned to each bus. We became friends and ate sack lunch together. When we pulled into camp, people were lined up to see us come in. They looked all grimy and looked terrible as there was no greenery, just dust and wind.

Our Class of 1943 was the first to graduate from Manzanar High School. Our graduation was held outdoors at one of the firebreaks as there was no facility large enough.

I was a terrible student. Being incarcerated, I felt there was no future. I skipped classes until Mr. Murakami, our truant officer, caught me. If it wasn’t for Mr. Murakami, I probably would not have graduated.

My favorite teacher was Mrs. Pusey, she taught social studies. Her home is where the Kentucky Derby is held. She talked about horses and even wagered on horses, that caught my attention and made the class interesting.

The best thing that happened to me was when a boys’ club, the Manzaknights, was formed. We had over 50 boys in our club and three advisors: Shiro (Shi) Nomura, Joe (Mexican) Okabe, and Yo Ishida.

Athletics was one of the most important activities in camp. We had one hardball (baseball) team coached by Min Watanabe, softball teams and just about everyone got to play basketball, even me. Most of our uniforms were ordered through Sears Roebuck catalog (our wish book).

Manzanar is where I learned to date girls and we taught each other how to jitterbug (western swing) and dance. A talent show was put on by our club in one of the mess halls, we charged 25 cents, it was a huge success. With the proceeds our club sponsored a movie night at the fire break where our high school graduation was held. The movie was “Higher and Higher” with Frank Sinatra, when he sang “The Music Stopped” all the girls swooned.

In summer of 1944, I had the opportunity to leave camp to work as a gardener at Medinah Country Club in Illinois, 20 miles west of Chicago. If it wasn’t for the evacuation I would never have had the opportunity to leave Glendale, CA. I had to stop in Chicago, the tall buildings, the activities of a big city, I got to see everything in a different perspective. When my contract for the summer was over I returned to camp.

Soon after, I permanently relocated to Kenosha, WI, working in a furniture factory making army cots. World War II soon ended and I was out of a job, came back to California and worked as a gardener and eventually started Unique Plant Rentals, renting live plants to office buildings, restaurants, banks, etc.

As I grew up as a youngster I hated being Japanese. I hated everything to do with Japanese: Japanese dancing, martial arts, Japanese school, Japanese customs. I hated my parents for being Japanese because there was so much prejudice. I wanted to be white. I wish I had been born white.

A “Model” Citizen
In Spring 2004, Jun joined a dozen of his friends from the Manzanar High School classes of 1943, 1944, and 1945 to create a detailed scale model of the camp. Together, they volunteered over a thousand hours. Today, the model is permanently on display at Manzanar National Historic Site.

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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