It was a sunny Sunday afternoon, and my sister and I were on our way home from Sunday school. I was 11 years old, attending Lincoln Elementary School in Oakland and looking forward to Christmas. I was hoping to receive a kit with a mannequin doll with patterns and fabric, so I could sew clothes for her. It was December 7, 1941.
When we heard the news about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, everyone thought it must be a mistake.
When it was verified, my father called the Japanese government fools and wondered what they could be thinking.
About the contributor: Grace Mori Saito Tom grew up in Chinatown in Oakland, CA. She was 11 and attending Lincoln Elementary School when Pearl Harbor was attacked. The family was sent to Tanforan and later, Topaz. After the War, Grace’s family was among the last to leave Topaz, having nowhere to go. They returned to the San Francisco Bay Area, where the family lived in one room at a church hostel. Grace wrote her memoir in 1999 and passed away the same year.
Copyright 1999, Grace Mori Saito Tom. All rights reserved.