by Roy Iwata
“We were to bring only what we could carry. My mother packed clothing, metal cups and plates.”
In Sacramento before the War, we had a mongrel dog named Brownie, who was about six years old. He used to chase after the Sacramento Bee news carrier who was riding his bicycle and grab the paper with his mouth. Then he would take it to my father. I used to tease Brownie by letting him chase me, and then I would jump up and grab some parallel bars and dangle, just out of reach of his snapping jaws.
In May 1942, “all persons of Japanese ancestry” had to report to the Memorial Auditorium at 16th and J Streets for removal to “assembly centers.” My parents had to hurriedly sell items from the store and garage. We were to bring only what we could carry. My mother packed clothing, metal cups and plates.
We had to put Brownie in a wooden crate and ship him to a friend of my uncle in Fresno. I cried as I watched the truck take him away.
About the contributor: Roy Taichi Iwata was 12 when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Roy’s family was sent to Walerga Assembly Center in Sacramento; then Tule Lake, CA; and finally, Topaz, UT in 1943. After the War, the Iwatas returned to Sacramento. Roy finished high school and joined the Army. While stationed in Japan, he married. The Iwatas settled in Sacramento and raised four children, celebrating almost 60 years of marriage. His memoir was shared with us by his daughter, Nancy Roskoff.
Copyright 2011, Roy Iwata. All rights reserved.