[Letter to Clara Breed from Louise Ogawa, Poston, Arizona, November 30, 1942]

Images(5)

[Letter to Clara Breed from Louise Ogawa, Poston, Arizona, November 30, 1942]

Maker Ogawa, Louise

Date1942

Mediumpaper, ink

DimensionsH: 10 in, W: 7.875 in (sheet); H: 3.5 in, W: 6.375 in (envelope)

ClassificationsArchives

Credit LineGift of Elizabeth Y. Yamada

Object number93.75.31Q

DescriptionTranscription: November 30, 1942/ Dear Miss McNary,/Since I didn't do any house moving in Santa Anita, I'm doing double duty here. I've moved again. This time I hope it will be permanent. My new address is now: Blk. 328-11-A/After 6 weeks of school life in camp has become similar to the life in San Diego. We now have a school paper. At the present there is a contest going on in submitting names for the school. The winning title will receive a year's subscription to Life Magazine./Friday, Nov. 27th, I enjoyed the movie, How Green Was My Valley. With it I saw a news reel about the sailors in training in San Diego. When I saw Balboa park and the Naval Training Station, I became too homesick for words. All the former San Diegans began to clap and hurrah as soon as they saw a glimpse of our hometown./I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving, even though the world is in such a turmoil. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The mess hall was beautifully decorated with artificial flowers. On the sides of each table was a vase of flowers and in the center was a spray of fresh fruits on fresh green leaves. We had turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mince pie, peas, potatoes, fruit salad and a choice of fresh fruits. The whole block consisting of 350 people sat before the beautifully decorated table, gave their thanks and ate together--recalling the happy moments of the past and hoping for a brighter future. It was a wonderful meal!! I never expected to have such a nice Thanksgiving dinner this year. This year there certainly was more things to be thankful for--at least for me there is./The boys who went out to work on the sugar beets in Colorado came home just in time to enjoy the Thanksgiving dinner with their families. All the boys who went out to work--Idaho, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming--are all back home now in good health. But there is still a few boys out working in Oregon. They transferred from Idaho to Oregon./A friend who returned from Colorado related the following incident to me. He said, while in town a few boys entered a restrauant to have a bite to eat. The first thing the waitress asked was "Are you Japs?" When they replied "yes" she turned her back on them and said they don't serve Japs. So they had to go to another restrauant to eat. Here is another incident which disgusted the boys. When the boys asked a policeman where a certain store was he replied--"I don't serve Japs." One of the boys became angry and remarked--"Alright be that way--what do you think we came out here for? We didn't come to be made fun of--we came to help out in this labor shortage." Then the policeman apologized and showed them to the store. This boy said he certainly was glad to return to camp where there is no unfriendliness. Of course, he knows and we all know that there are people all over the world who hate certain races and they just can't help it. But I am sure when this war is over there will be no ratical discrimination and we won't have to doubt for a minute the great principles of democracy./One discouraging thing which occurred here is the building of the fence. Now there is a fence all around this camp. I hope very soon this fence will be torn down./I always seem to rattle on and on about myself. Three pages is enough for me, I think. Pretty soon I will be writing an autobiography./I do hope you are just fine and I can just see you scurrying around the library without a moment of rest. How is everything? Please don't overwork yourself and please be careful of your health for these wintery days are so cold./Most sincerely,/Louise Ogawa/Please do write during your leisure time./ ;1 letter and envelope from Louise Ogawa written to Clara Breed.