That night a Kibei friend of my father’s came to our apartment and begged my dad not to register; he was afraid there was going to be violence. But my dad went early the next day to register and answered “yes-yes” to Questions 27 and 28 without incident.
One night shortly afterwards, Professor Chiura Obata, founder of the Topaz Art School, was beaten by Antis and had to be hospitalized; and then my father’s older brother, Tom, a founder of the Japanese American Citizens League, was beaten in the Jerome Camp and had to be hospitalized. Both Professor Obata and Uncle Tom were moved out of the camps for their safety.
A few weeks later, my father heard from a friend who worked in the Administration Building that only 22 men out of about 1900 eligible had volunteered from Topaz. My father was shocked, and decided that he had to volunteer. He talked it over with my mother, Kuni, who said it was alright with her. He sat down with me and said that he couldn’t spend his whole time in a relocation camp when he could serve in the army to help bring this war to an end. He asked his younger brother Mot and his brother-in-law Walt to watch over my mother and me while he was gone.
At 35 years old, my father reported to Fort Douglas near Salt Lake City for his physical. He had high blood pressure and was tested twice before being accepted for combat duty. My mother and I were allowed to visit him. I asked if he passed and he said yes and gave us a big hug. That night we had a steak dinner at the Mayflower Hotel. I really enjoyed that.
He soon had travel orders to report to Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi for basic training. As the train left the station, my mother walked alongside the slowly moving car. They held out their hands until the train picked up speed and she was out of sight.
Volunteer is part 1 of excerpts from Takeshi Yatabe’s memoir, “Letter to his Grandsons,” written in 1993 and adapted in 2025 by his son, Jon. Click on the link to read part 2 (Basic Training).
About the contributor: Jon Yatabe was born in Berkeley in 1937 and grew up in Redwood City, where his father (Tak Yatabe) grew flowers. He was four when his family was sent to Topaz. His father joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and fought in Europe. The Yatabes settled in Berkeley after the War. Jon graduated from UC Berkeley and received a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. After a long career in Washington and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, he retired and divides his time between Alaska and Colorado (where he loves spending time with his grandchildren).
Copyright 2025, Jon Yatabe. All rights reserved.