Fred T. Yonemoto at Heart Mountain
Born December 11, 1912 Colma, California
Died April 5, 2008 sunnyvale, California
Fred and Yuki Yonemoto, my father and mother, arrived at Heart Mountain on September 13, 1942, after spending over three months at the Santa Anita Assembly Center. Arriving at the same time or shortly afterwards were Fred's step-mother and youngest brother and Yuki's mother and younger sister. Yoichi (Tak), Fred's younger brother, went directly to Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, from Santa Anita. Yoichi was a junior at the University of California at Davis before Pearl Harbor. Goichi (Gooch), Fred's youngest brother, had been attending Heald's Business College before Pearl Harbor, but he was sent to Heart Mountain. Both younger brothers were later drafted by the U.S. Army.
Fred Yonemoto was the de facto head of the extended Yonemoto family and the immediate Udo family. Jiichiro, Fred's older brother, was marooned in Japan. Jiichiro and his five children went to Japan in early November of 1941 to take his wife's ashes to the family village. Also missing from Fred's extended family were his father and Yuki's father, both of whom were arrested by the U.S. government after Pearl Harbor and didn't rejoin the family at Heart Mountain until many, many months later. Fred worked hard to get them paroled, petitioning the government agencies, and getting support letters. Tsunegusu Yonemoto's and Tsunejiro Udo's sad stories are told separately.
Fred Yonemoto was the de facto head of the extended Yonemoto family and the immediate Udo family. Jiichiro, Fred's older brother, was marooned in Japan. Jiichiro and his five children went to Japan in early November of 1941 to take his wife's ashes to the family village. Also missing from Fred's extended family were his father and Yuki's father, both of whom were arrested by the U.S. government after Pearl Harbor and didn't rejoin the family at Heart Mountain until many, many months later. Fred worked hard to get them paroled, petitioning the government agencies, and getting support letters. Tsunegusu Yonemoto's and Tsunejiro Udo's sad stories are told separately.
Application for Indefinite Leave - Leave Clearance
On December 16, 1942, just 2 months after arriving at Heart Mountain, Fred applied for Indefinite Leave, which meant leaving Heart Mountain and relocating to a place outside of the West Coast Exclusion Zone. He was granted several short-term leaves from Heart Mountain to look for employment and a place to live. In September 1943, Fred was trusted enough by Heart Mountain officials to go without escort to Kimberly, Idaho to see Mr. N. Higaki and to Milford, Utah to see Henry Mitarai about possible relocation. It seems that Henry Mitarai, a friend from Mountain View, who was also sent to Heart Mountain, had already gotten permission to leave and to start farming in Utah.
Next month Fred was even allowed to go to Reno, Nevada, to pick up three vehicles (1940 International truck, 1936 Chevrolet sedan, and 1940 Ford coupe) which were being driven from Sunnyvale to Reno.
Next month Fred was even allowed to go to Reno, Nevada, to pick up three vehicles (1940 International truck, 1936 Chevrolet sedan, and 1940 Ford coupe) which were being driven from Sunnyvale to Reno.
In October of 1943, regional officials of the War Relocation authority asked Heart Mountain officials to investigate Fred further. Among the concerns of the regional officials were (1) a report from an intelligence agency and (2) Fred's answer to Question 27 - Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty, wherever ordered? He said "YES, IF my father is paroled or relocated from Lordsburg Internment Camp."
On December 1, 1943, almost a year after applying for Indefinite Leave, Fred appeared before a Hearing Board at Heart Mountain chaired by John K. Corbett, Acting Superintendent of Education. Mr. Corbett wrote in part:.
On December 1, 1943, almost a year after applying for Indefinite Leave, Fred appeared before a Hearing Board at Heart Mountain chaired by John K. Corbett, Acting Superintendent of Education. Mr. Corbett wrote in part:.
“The results of this hearing indicate very definitely that Fred Yonemoto wished to resume his place as a normal, loyal American citizen. The fact that his brother returned to Japan shortly before the outbreak of the war and that his father was interned have reflected some suspicion of his loyalties. His father has been paroled, and I am firmly convinced that Fred is loyal to the United States.”
|
Finally Fred and his family were granted clearance to leave. After he was granted permission, Fred took a trip to Sunnyvale in January 1945 and Boston in April 1945.
Suspicion and Paranoia
Mr. Corbett noted in the transcript of the hearing that he could not find the intelligence report which mentioned by the regional office. I believe that the index card shown is the part of the missing document. This card references a federal investigative report dated 2/20/42, just 8 days after the arrest of his father in Sunnyvale. It shows that Fred was under investigation early on. And the card mentions that the flower market "has engaged in subversive activities."
Fred was elected treasurer of the California Flower Market's Board of Directors in January 1942. The board was the first all-Nisei board. Fred was a person of standing in the community.
I believe that Fred would have been arrested as a "potentially dangerous enemy alien," but for the fact that Fred was a citizen of the United States. These were very paranoid times.
(Click on the image to enlarge the card.)
Fred was elected treasurer of the California Flower Market's Board of Directors in January 1942. The board was the first all-Nisei board. Fred was a person of standing in the community.
I believe that Fred would have been arrested as a "potentially dangerous enemy alien," but for the fact that Fred was a citizen of the United States. These were very paranoid times.
(Click on the image to enlarge the card.)
Work at heart Mountain
Fred worked as a cook/cook helper at Heart Mountain, one of the better jobs available paying $16 a month. He worked at this job until August 27, 1945
Also on September 1, 1944, Fred applied to work outside of camp for the War Food Administration as an Interstate seasonal agricultural worker at the rate of $3.00 a day. He was allowed to go to Richfield, Utah for 2 months from September 2 to November 30, 1944. Henry Mitarai's farm was near Richfield, Utah. In the fall of 1944 there was a shortage of people to harvest sugar beets. Even German and Italian prisoners of war were used for the harvest.
Fred had two good friends from California, Henry Mitarai and Charlie Inouye, both of whom stayed in Utah after the war and became very successful. One of his friends was was asked by the U.S. Army if he would continue grow carrots for the army in Utah just like he did in California before the war. The friend said yes. At least one of his friends was given prisoners of war to help with the harvest. He said that the Germans, probably very happy to away from the war zone, quickly organized and worked hard. The Italians were just happy. It must have been a strange world.
Also on September 1, 1944, Fred applied to work outside of camp for the War Food Administration as an Interstate seasonal agricultural worker at the rate of $3.00 a day. He was allowed to go to Richfield, Utah for 2 months from September 2 to November 30, 1944. Henry Mitarai's farm was near Richfield, Utah. In the fall of 1944 there was a shortage of people to harvest sugar beets. Even German and Italian prisoners of war were used for the harvest.
Fred had two good friends from California, Henry Mitarai and Charlie Inouye, both of whom stayed in Utah after the war and became very successful. One of his friends was was asked by the U.S. Army if he would continue grow carrots for the army in Utah just like he did in California before the war. The friend said yes. At least one of his friends was given prisoners of war to help with the harvest. He said that the Germans, probably very happy to away from the war zone, quickly organized and worked hard. The Italians were just happy. It must have been a strange world.
Fred's other activities at heart mountain
Fred had a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders while at Heart Mountain, worrying about his and his wife's families and worrying about the nursery in Sunnyvale. But he found time to get involved in many activities, some purely for pleasure, such as fishing, but most activities were for community betterment.
Teaching English to issei
He started teaching Adult English on October 16, 1942 and continued until June 3, 1944. Fred was known as a Kibei, a person who was born in the United States but spent considerable time in Japan. He was truly bi-lingual, speaking and writing both English and Japanese. He used his knowledge to teach English to the older, first-generation internees. Found among his papers were lesson plans, vocabulary lists and this night school schedule. According to schedule, the practical English program into 3 major groups:
Beginners 1-2-3-4: Beginning from those who have no knowledge of the alphabet; pronunciation, and spelling of simple words; easy everyday conversation; writing of simple sentences; readers--Primer, I, II, etc., simple grammar; penmanship, etc.
Intermediate 1-2-3-4: Spelling of harder words; advanced conversation; writing of compositions; readers, III, IV, V, VI, etc.; some translation works; advanced grammar, etc.
Advanced Group: Advanced English composition studied grammatically and rhetorically; creative writing; advanced grammar; translation of newspapers, magazine and literary works.
In the 1943 - 1944 school year, Fred taught an Intermediate 1 class T-Th from 7:00 to 9:00, an Intermediate 3 class W-F from 7:00 to 9:00, as well as an Intermediate 3 class on Saturday from 1:30 to 3:00. Robert Takahiro Kai, married to my mother's sister, taught 3 classes, one Beginners and two Intermediate classes.
Beginners 1-2-3-4: Beginning from those who have no knowledge of the alphabet; pronunciation, and spelling of simple words; easy everyday conversation; writing of simple sentences; readers--Primer, I, II, etc., simple grammar; penmanship, etc.
Intermediate 1-2-3-4: Spelling of harder words; advanced conversation; writing of compositions; readers, III, IV, V, VI, etc.; some translation works; advanced grammar, etc.
Advanced Group: Advanced English composition studied grammatically and rhetorically; creative writing; advanced grammar; translation of newspapers, magazine and literary works.
In the 1943 - 1944 school year, Fred taught an Intermediate 1 class T-Th from 7:00 to 9:00, an Intermediate 3 class W-F from 7:00 to 9:00, as well as an Intermediate 3 class on Saturday from 1:30 to 3:00. Robert Takahiro Kai, married to my mother's sister, taught 3 classes, one Beginners and two Intermediate classes.
teaching Sunday school at the Buddhist temple
A Buddhist Temple was established at Heart Mountain. See the quote below from the official Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation website.
Fred was one of the Sunday School teachers.
Fred was one of the Sunday School teachers.
Heart Mountain had a Catholic church and a community Christian church, which held services that were attended by all denominations. Although the practice of Buddhism was initially discouraged by camp administrators, a Buddhist church was eventually established and such group events as kabuki theater and bon odori (the annual festival for the dead) were allowed. About two-thirds of those incarcerated at Heart Mountain were Buddhist. |
A picture of the Buddhist Temple Sunday School teachers
Reverend Mukushima (front row, fourth from the left)
Reverend Kubota (back row, second from the right)
Mrs. Kubota (back row, fourth from left)
Fred Yonemoto (back row, second from left)
George Sato (front row, last person on the right)
George returned to Mountain View, California after the war and opened up a barbershop which always had a large collection of comic books. All of Fred's sons went to his shop. George was also active at the Mountain View Buddhist Temple, serving as its president twice. George died May 15, 2008, three weeks after Fred.
Reverend Mukushima (front row, fourth from the left)
Reverend Kubota (back row, second from the right)
Mrs. Kubota (back row, fourth from left)
Fred Yonemoto (back row, second from left)
George Sato (front row, last person on the right)
George returned to Mountain View, California after the war and opened up a barbershop which always had a large collection of comic books. All of Fred's sons went to his shop. George was also active at the Mountain View Buddhist Temple, serving as its president twice. George died May 15, 2008, three weeks after Fred.
Block 15 Sunday School children shown with Reverend Tsuruyama
Note the address on the building.
Note the address on the building.
Heart Mountain Community Activities - Community enterprises
Fred was interested in the governance of the Heart Mountain community.
Found among Fred's paper were the Community Activities Organization's financial statements detailing receipts and expenditures for various community activities, such as Girls Scouts, Boys Scouts, movie department, and the Golf Association (which had a balance of $7.38). As of June 1, 1945, the Community Activities organization had $6,231.98 in the Shoshone National Bank.
Also found was an operating statement for a group called Heart Mountain Enterprises which took care of the various businesses, such as the dry goods store, found within the camp. I found the type and number of businesses amazing. As shown in the quarter ended October 31, 1944, the gross sales were $177,922.58. These businesses paid social security, federal income tax, and state taxes on the salaries, just like any business in the outside world. Fred's account book showed that he wrote a $50 or $100 check to Community Enterprise every month. I believe that that amount provided the family credit at the various stores.
On a personal note, I remember Fred saying the fish store did not put enough fish in the kamaboko (a type of surimi) He said the fish store saved money by added extra corn starch to its recipe.
Found among Fred's paper were the Community Activities Organization's financial statements detailing receipts and expenditures for various community activities, such as Girls Scouts, Boys Scouts, movie department, and the Golf Association (which had a balance of $7.38). As of June 1, 1945, the Community Activities organization had $6,231.98 in the Shoshone National Bank.
Also found was an operating statement for a group called Heart Mountain Enterprises which took care of the various businesses, such as the dry goods store, found within the camp. I found the type and number of businesses amazing. As shown in the quarter ended October 31, 1944, the gross sales were $177,922.58. These businesses paid social security, federal income tax, and state taxes on the salaries, just like any business in the outside world. Fred's account book showed that he wrote a $50 or $100 check to Community Enterprise every month. I believe that that amount provided the family credit at the various stores.
On a personal note, I remember Fred saying the fish store did not put enough fish in the kamaboko (a type of surimi) He said the fish store saved money by added extra corn starch to its recipe.
Golf Association and fishing club and other activities
Fred Yonemoto enjoyed his sports. At Heart Mountain there was a Golf Association, and, finally, a fishing club was formed in 1945. The formation of the fishing club was the more difficult task because the state of Wyoming had to agree to issue fishing licenses to evacuees. Fred was on the investigating committee as a representative of Block 23.
The first paragraph of the undated letter from the Founders of the Fishing Club states:
To the evacuee residents of this center on the barren plains the fishing sport may be looked upon as one of the most eagerly sought of recreations and should an excellent means of relieving the tensions and raising the moral of the evacuees especially at these critical moments in view of impending and inevitable closing of all centers within a few months.
Fishing Club members, after getting their state license, still had to get a pass to leave Heart Mountain.
His other activities included being chairman of a Boy Scouts Troop, hiking with friends, and fishing (long last in 1945). Fred was also very proud of his Wyoming individual liquor permit. He enclosed the permit in plastic and put it in the first page of his photo album.
The first paragraph of the undated letter from the Founders of the Fishing Club states:
To the evacuee residents of this center on the barren plains the fishing sport may be looked upon as one of the most eagerly sought of recreations and should an excellent means of relieving the tensions and raising the moral of the evacuees especially at these critical moments in view of impending and inevitable closing of all centers within a few months.
Fishing Club members, after getting their state license, still had to get a pass to leave Heart Mountain.
His other activities included being chairman of a Boy Scouts Troop, hiking with friends, and fishing (long last in 1945). Fred was also very proud of his Wyoming individual liquor permit. He enclosed the permit in plastic and put it in the first page of his photo album.
Family and The Future - Back to Sunnyvale, California
I believe Fred always wanted to return to Sunnyvale and the family carnation nursery. He had made arrangements with trusted friends and associates before the evacuation. He brought the Santa Clara County phone book with him to camp so he could keep in contact. He punched a hole in the book and put a string through it so it would always be handy. I believe that he made trips to Utah and Idaho for possible relocation as insurance in case a return to the West Coast proved to be impossible. I have no idea why he went to Boston.
The nursery, consisting of 20 acres and a house, was leased to Bill Zappettini during the internment. The house and lot at 211 West California Street, adjacent to the nursery, was leased to the foreman. Mr. Zappettini maintained and ran the nursery and sold the flowers. Thus Fred and his family had another source of income during the war.
On September 6, 1945, the family left Heart Mountain for the last time. On September 7, I am pictured in my mother's arms at Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park. Later in September there are pictures of my father and grandfather fishing in Richfield, Utah with the Mitarai family.
Fred said the agreement with William Zappettini stipulated that the family could return to the nursery with 30 days notice, That clause was honored, and the Yonemoto family returned to a business which would provide immediate income.
In October of 1945, 1 trunk, 1 army locker, 14 crates, 9 boxes, and 1 carton box were shipped from Heart Mountain to 271 N. Murphy Avenue, Sunnyvale.
The nursery, consisting of 20 acres and a house, was leased to Bill Zappettini during the internment. The house and lot at 211 West California Street, adjacent to the nursery, was leased to the foreman. Mr. Zappettini maintained and ran the nursery and sold the flowers. Thus Fred and his family had another source of income during the war.
On September 6, 1945, the family left Heart Mountain for the last time. On September 7, I am pictured in my mother's arms at Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park. Later in September there are pictures of my father and grandfather fishing in Richfield, Utah with the Mitarai family.
Fred said the agreement with William Zappettini stipulated that the family could return to the nursery with 30 days notice, That clause was honored, and the Yonemoto family returned to a business which would provide immediate income.
In October of 1945, 1 trunk, 1 army locker, 14 crates, 9 boxes, and 1 carton box were shipped from Heart Mountain to 271 N. Murphy Avenue, Sunnyvale.