[Letter to Clara Breed from Tetsuzo (Ted) Hirasaki, Poston, Arizona, November 16, 1942]

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[Letter to Clara Breed from Tetsuzo (Ted) Hirasaki, Poston, Arizona, November 16, 1942]

Maker Hirasaki, Tetsuzo

Date1942

Mediumpaper, ink

DimensionsH: 10.5 in, W: 8 in (sheet); H: 4.25 in, W: 9.5 in (envelope)

ClassificationsArchives

Credit LineGift of Elizabeth Y. Yamada

Object number93.75.31IS

DescriptionTranscription: 322-14-D/Poston, Arizona/November 16, 1942/Dear Miss Breed,/Guess who? Yup it's ole unreliable again, none other than yours truly, Tetsuzo. Gosh the wind's been blowing all night and all morning. Kinda threatening to blow the roofs down. Dust is all over the place. Gives everything a coating of fine dust./It seems that there were some last minute changes concerning Mrs. Lila MacArthur's visit. The fellows that she was going to visit left camp to go to the sugar beet fields, so that the trip here was called off. Maybe when the fellows get back she will make the trip. I don't know much about her except that she is a cousin of some sort to Gen. MacArthur. She has been a bookkeeper for a produce house (Greenman & Sons) for quite a long time. That was where she became aquainted with Japanese She is the mother of one of my classmates in S. D. High School. She used to come to Santa Anita almost every week end to visit the boys that used to know her in S.D./Thanks for the news of Mr. Campione. There are many people, who worked and lived in Coronado, here so they were interested in that item. Many knew him personally and were sad to hear that he had been drowned./Heard from dad about a week ago. It seems that there is a possibility that many of the internees are to be released sometime close to Christmas (that's what the rumors have it) Almost everyone who has someone in an internment camp believe that his someone is the one coming home. At any rate the Alien Enemy Control at Washington is considering to allow the families to join the husbands in the internment camp. Many of us have written Edward J. Ennis, Director of the Alien Enemy Control unit asking that it be the other way around. --Yes Fusa's dad is still interned./I am still working in the mess hall. Brrr to have to get up early in the morning. It is around 38 in the morning and at the middle part of the afternoon it is around 80+. The mornings don't warm up until just about noontime. My arm is all right. Not near so strong as at Santa Anita because I don't do any loading or unloading of supplies. Have been doing a little carpentry as many of us here have no furniture other than cots. Haven't got much made here in my own apt. as most of my work is over where the menfolk have left for the sugar beet fields or where there just ain't no menfolk./The food has been all right except for quantity. We still have trouble with the warehouse transportation system. Also transportation on the outside to bring food all the way from the Coast here to Poston is limited. The medical situation here is pitiful. For that matter in all three camps. The main and the only hospital is at Camp I 15 miles away. Here in Camp III there is one young doctor with not too much experience and one student doctor working in an emergency clinic. They are supposed to take care of approximately 5000 people!!!! and they (the Big shots) wonder who we squawk about inadequate medical attention. With the extremes in temperature a daily occurrence more and more people are coming down with bad colds. If the flu should hit this or any of the other camps----/The dental facilities here in Camp III is considered the best because the only dental drill in the three camps is here. The dentists work only half a day because there aren't any tools to work with. The government as yet hasn't sent any equipment to this camp. Many of the dentists are using their own tools without compensation for loss or breakage./ No I haven't hiked to the river yet. I'd better do it soon cause there is going to be a fence around this camp!!!!!! 5 strands of barbed wire!!!!!!!!!! They say it's to keep the people out--ha ha ha what people the redskins?? It's also to keep out cattle. Where in the cattle countries do they use 5 strands of barbed wire??/If they don't watch out there's going to be trouble. What do they think we are, fools?? At Santa Anita at the time of the riot the armored cars parked outside of the main gates, pointed the heavy machine guns inside and then the army had the gall to tell us that the purpose of that was to keep the white folks from coming in to mob the Japs. Same thing with the guards on the watch towers. They had their machineguns pointed at us to protect us from the outsiders, hah, hah, hah, I'm laughing yet./ Enough of this before I go out and murder a white man by killing myself. hah, hah. --Say what is this, just as I wrote that three bombers came roaring overhead flying so low that the barracks shook. Every now and then the Chinese Air Force who are training some where close to Poston, come zooming down at us here in camp. They must think it's funny./Some day one of us is going to have a gun---A couple of weeks ago one of the bombers (twin motored Douglas attack bomber) crashed on the other side of the Colorado and burst into flame. It wasn't right but a lot of us were kinda glad, in a cynical sort of way. God forgive us for the thoughts that are beginning to run amok in our brains./Last week a very good friend of mine got to thinking - and he went crazy. He tried to commit suicide by slashing his wrists. His roommates found him bleeding and immediately gave him first aid. He is still alive, but his face is like that of a wild ape caged for the first time in his life. Gosh I get the chills every time I remember how he looked that morning. I think he was sent to an insane asylum in Los Angeles./Gee, what a morbid letter this, turned out to be! Well, Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Is it going to be on the last Thursday of the month this year? I don't know but we're supposed to have turkey here in Camp./I am sending you a few things in appreciation for what you have done for me as well as for my sister and all the rest. The lapel pins are for you, your sister, and Miss McNary. If I remembered correctly Miss McNary's first name is Helen. If I am wrong you may do what you wish with the pin, but please tell me her name. Also what is your mother's name? There are three dogs made by Mrs. Umezawa from pipe cleaners. A longer ribbon may be used so that the dog may be pinned to the lapel or blouse. The corsages are for your and your mother. They were made by Mrs. Ohye (Mrs. Umezawa's daughter) The small roses were made by Mrs. Hirai and Mrs. Kushino and also Jane Kushino (Mrs. Kushino's 14 yr. old daughter) The chrysanthemum was made by Mrs. Nakamura a very good friend of mine. For that matter they are all good friends of mine. The 'mum was made from lemon wrappers and crepe paper. A word about Mrs. Nakamura. A former dress maker with plenty of time on her hands. Took up knitting also learning English and now making flowers. So busy now she has almost no spare time. If it is possible could you send some simple child primers and a grammar book about 7th grade./Your name plate I made from mesquite as are also the lapel pins. However the dark pin is made from a pine knot from Santa Anita The rest are all Poston Products. The evacuation order came just as I was about to send it so it slipped my mind and I thought I had lost it. After all it was the only souvenir from Santa Anita./Aren't we Japs clever? We are learning to make beautiful things out of ugly scrap, because we are having a hard time to get material like pipe cleaners for dogs, crepe paper for flowers, also soft wire for flowers We get ugly dead mesquite branches and twigs and turn them into a thing of beauty by attaching paper orange blossoms or cherry blossoms made from Kleenex (tinted) I wish you had been able to attend our handicraft fairs here in Poston I & II Words just can't describe the beautiful carvings, paintings, knitting crochet work, dress making etc If I only had a camera you would have at least a rough idea as to what had been made./ I've got to close now so that I can make the outgoing mail today./Very truly yours,/Tetsuzo/P.S. Have a nice Thanksgiving dinner. TH/P.S. Do you think you could send me some Welch's peanut brittle? TH;1 letter and envelope from Tetsuzo (Ted Hirasaki) to Clara Breed.