Story of Chiyomi Marumoto and James Kaz Ogawa as told by their daughter Dana Ogawa. Kaz Ogawa later changed to James Kaz Ogawa was born on January 27th 1921. He had a brother and two sisters. He passed away on august 16th 2001 Shiyomi Ogawa was born on march 9th 1924 she has 2 brothers and 2 sisters she went to japan to live with her grandparents when she was approximately 7 years old the Marimoto family picture was taken in japan before the war with my mom’s brothers and sisters her mom and dad and her grandparents. Her whole family went to japan to see Shiomi graduate from high school. That was just before the war ended. Before the started Americans were trying to get back to America three boats tried to go to the states the first boat went to Hawaii and everyone was able to get off the ship, the second boat went to san Francisco but they were told to turn around. The third boat was canceled however japan negotiated with the US and the third boat was able to leave japan for America. My mother and my family were on the third boat. They landed in San Francisco and took the train to terminal Island. Shiomi and James lived and met on Terminal Island. Dad’s family lived in Terminal Island but he went Salinas to help with his uncle’s store. He met my mom when he came back to visit. My mom said it was love at first sight. When the war broke out the terminal island people were given 48 hours to pack. They were taken to a Compton church and then from there went to Manzanar. Shiomi Marimoto married James Kaz Ogawa in camp on March 26th 1944 and their son Robert K was born January 3rd 1945. Her aunt ordered material from either Sears or Montgomery Ward. She then sewed Shiomi’s wedding gown. Five women borrowed the very same gown to get married in. Famed Manzanar photographer Toyo Miyatake took their wedding pictures in camp. My dad helped to build the dam in Mazanar. The first didn’t work so he built a second one that did. There was a documentary about it, and you can see his name engraved in the cement at the dam. At first my dad was a no/no boy loyal to the US but didn’t think he should answer yes as they were like prisoners in camp. Number 27 and 28 on the loyalty questionnaire had to be answered with yes/yes or no/no you could not answer with no and yes. My dad answered no and yes. He was loyal to the US but said no to question 27 as he felt it was wrong to imprison the Japanese Americans and ask them to fight. This meant he would be sent to the Tule lake camp in Arizona anyone who didn’t answer yes/yes were called no/no boys. The commander in Mazanar Mr. Merit had my dad change his questionnaire to yes/yes as he did not want send him away. However his first answer stayed with him as he was not allowed to leave Mazanar and go to Pasadena with the rest of his family. So he went Utah and worked for Langadorf Bakery after saving money he quit and went back to Mazanar to pick up his wife and son. He brought them back to Utah along with his parents for 6 months and then went to Pasadena to be with the rest of his family they bought the first home on east side of Pasadena around 1953. It took them awhile to find someone who would sell to them, and they lived at that house for 18 years. James worked and went to night school at UCLA; he received his accounting degree in work for ITT Cannon. He started as accountant then became a controller, general manager, and then vice president. He worked micro dot in California and New York as vice president and international director of companies throughout Europe and Japan he got his MBA at Pepperdine and worked at Elco a division of gulf and western. As vice president and international director for companies in Europe and Japan.
Japanese Internment Camps 