Sumio Frank Shimada oral history interview, part 2 of 5, March 23, 2002

Files

Dublin Core

Description

After Executive Order 9066, Sumio Frank Shimada was forcibly removed to Santa Anita Assembly Center. Frank describes the living conditions and life at the Assembly Center. He found a job in camp making camouflage nets.

In September 1942, Frank was 24 years old when he arrived in Heart Mountain. In June 1943, he was waiting to join the Army, but he never received the news. Frank was classified as 4C - enemy alien. Therefore, he went to work at a peach orchard in Utah. The family dynamics changed in camp. There was no more family mealtime, and you ate by yourself or with friends.

Another division created in camp was the loyalty questionnaire. The questionnaire created a discussion among the Japanese American men to volunteer or not volunteer for service. Frank and his younger brother decided to volunteer.

On July 26, he was inducted into the Army. Frank attends a Recruit School for basic training at Camp Shelby. In his free time, he would go to Hattiesburg and visit friends. He recalls the discrimination and segregation of African Americans. Frank shared a story about a bus ride to Rohwer and the treatment of African Americans.

Identifier

2002OH0263_02_Shimada

Oral History Item Type Metadata

URL

http://www.goforbroke.org/oral_histories/mp4/263-Shimada-Frank-2.m4v

Date of Birth

1918 Apr 21

Location of Birth

War or Conflict

Branch of Service

Entrance into Service

Nickname

Location of Basic Training

Citation

Shimada, Sumio Frank: narrator, Yahata, Craig: interviewer, and Go For Broke National Education Center: publisher, “Sumio Frank Shimada oral history interview, part 2 of 5, March 23, 2002,” Japanese American Military History Collective, accessed December 21, 2024, https://ndajams.omeka.net/items/show/1052775.