World War II for the Kagawas
During World War II, no one forced us to go to an internment center, and none of us were bullied in Webster. The men, however, were taken to a nearby town for about a month while the government checked their backgrounds. One black woman named Heburna cooked pinto beans with bacon and ham for us in the morning. She also baked cornbread, biscuits and bread.
During World War II, because there were so many Isseis (first-generation Japanese) amongst us, people in town treated us as usual. After the war ended, we started sending clothes back to Japan. When we sent chocolate and marshmallows to Japan, I heard little children jumped for joy, saying, “It must be like Heaven in the States! They have so much delicious food.”
Five of my sons joined the military. My sixth son, Chris, joined the Air Force without even consulting us first. My oldest son, Tommy, was stationed in Germany during the fighting, and remained there after the war. During World War II, Japanese people in America had no trouble signing up for the military. In Houston and Galveston, we didn't sense any anti-Japanese sentiment. Caucasians in Webster were even nicer to us because they sensed how alone we felt.