Isamu Saito oral history interview, June 28, 2005

Isamu "Sam" Saito was born on April 27, 1925, in Seattle, Washington. His parents are from Japan and immigrated to the United States for a better opportunity. Sam's parents are instrumental in shaping him in his informal years of education.

The…

Isamu "Sam" Saito recalls his school years. At school, the students are primarily Japanese Americans. The teachers had a hard time pronouncing the Japanese names. Therefore, many of the Japanese American students used English names for the benefit of…

Isamu "Sam" Saito discusses his friends' and parents' reactions after Pearl Harbor. One evening after the attack, Sam's parents burned items connected with Japan.

When Executive Order 9066 (EO9066) was announced, Sam's family prepared for…

Isamu "Sam" Saito describes life in the camp. Minidoka was the third-largest in Idaho, with approximately 12,000 Japanese American internees. Inside the camp, the people developed a police station, fire station, hospital, and administration.…

After Camp Shelby, Isamu "Sam" Saito went to Fort Snelling. There were approximately 2,000 soldiers at Fort Snelling training to go overseas. The curriculum focused on reading and writing. Sam discusses his daily schedule at the Japanese school.
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During the Occupation of Japan, Isamu "Sam" Saito got an opportunity to travel around Japan. He recalls visiting Osaka, and the locals have their dialect. Luckily, his cousin from Yokohama helps translate for him.

The cities affected by the…