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Higa Takejiro
published Oct 13, 2018
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An Oral History
Takejiro Higa's interview courtesy of the Center for Oral History.
Photographs courtesy of Takejiro Higa. The Hawaii Nisei Project © 2006 MK: So you came back and you enrolled at . . . TH: Farrington. MK: How did you arrange that? TH: I mean, I just went to Farrington and applied. And being a GI, I guess they gave me first semester credit without taking any courses. So I was assigned to Flora Ching. Miss Ching’s class. Young teacher. I would say only about three, four years older than me. So at the end of the semester, she gave me small gifts, see. Miss Ching, she gave me small gifts. “What this for, Miss Ching?” “You know, Take,” she called me “Take,” see, “Take, when you came into my class, I told myself, what did I do wrong to get this guy in my class?” She thought, being a GI, exGI, going to give her trouble. But I was determined to be a good student, okay. I studied like hell. So when the kids making noise, all I got to do is look like that, eh, then you can hear a pin drop. Quiet. Because those days, we used to get a discharge pin, we used to call ’em “gooney bird.” Discharge pin. They look at that, they respect. Highest respect. Today, they kill ’em, I think. (Laughter) Anyway, all I got to do is just look like that, hoo, quiet. “So, I’m grateful that you kept my class real quiet so that everybody studied.” “Oh, thank you.” (Chuckles) So, I forgot what it was, but small gift, about this package. (Laughs) She tells me, “When you came in, I told myself, what I did do wrong to get this guy in my class?” (Laughter) Yeah, actually she was a brand-new teacher, about three, four years older than me. I was what, [19]46, I was twentythree already. MK: How was it for you though, you know, older GI coming back to school with these younger kids? TH: As I told you, I was determined to get education, basic education. So I never thought about anything other than study, study, study. And at the same time, I was working, too. Full-time work. MK: Where were you working? TH: Summer months, I worked at cannery, CPC [California Packing Corporation] warehouse, stack canned goods. Cased goods. I think I told you, during the lunch break, I stole a straw from the cafeteria, stick in my pocket. And working in the cased goods on a stack, in break time, I had one small nail, make a puka in one of the juice cans, and (makes sound) suck ’em out. (Laughter) I was naughty, I think. So some days, some stores bought the case of juice and they find one can empty. And I’m the guilty one. I don’t think, you know, how many people did that, but I’m one of them. MK: And then school times, did you work, too? When you were going to Farrington? TH: Yeah. Working, helping my brother-in-law’s store. MK: And what year did you graduate from Farrington? TH: I finished one year, no. I went back to Farrington, [19]43, September, yeah. Then — no, [19]42, September. Wait a minute, no, no, cannot be, [19]46, yeah, September. In [19]47, graduated, senior year. Then, I applied for university. I took the entrance exam, whether I can pass or not, I didn’t know, I had no confidence. But for some reason, I passed. I was lucky enough to pass. So I got to at the University of Mänoa one year. And being a bobora, I had to take Speech 100. (Chuckles) One more course, onecredit course. Mrs. Inouye, Margaret Awamura, was my teacher. And I knew Dan was dating Margaret, see. Being, you know, about the same age group, we used to talk to each other after, in between class. So we used to kid him around, say, “Hey Dan, why don’t you take speech? You can credit without studying anything, you can get A easily, yeah?” I don’t know whether he was required to take or not. But anyway, I was required, one of the guys that has to take one-credit course, Speech 100. Being a bobora. (Laughter) So, I finished one year. Then by that time, my brother-inlaw still running the store, and his butcher was going to retire. Quit, rather. So he needed the help. So I told myself, “Even if I finish school, I still have to work, so I might as well work with my brother-in-law, get a fulltime job.” So I drop off from the university after one year. Then in [19]53, I met a young girl, and we got married. And she was teaching school, public school. And weekends, she used to help me at the store, yeah. And one day, I don’t know how long after we got married, but one day she asked me, “Hey, are you planning to stay in the store all your life like this?” Because I used to work from six in the morning to eight, nine o’clock every day. Except Sunday, maybe two, three hours afternoon off. “Are you going to stick to the store and work all your life like that? No vacation, no free time? Why don’t you go back school and finish up?” She told me that. “I think we can manage just ourselves, we can manage, eat. Why don’t you go back to school?” So I thought about it, and thought about it. And thinking, you know. So I came back to the university office to find out whether I can come back. And in those days — I don’t know if it’s still true or not — but if you come back within a ten-year period, you can come back without taking an examination. So I decided to come back in [19]57. And came back in [19]57, continued with my sophomore year, and finished up in [19]60. MK: And what did you major in? TH: Chee, I don’t have enough brain to be an attorney, or doctor, or engineer. So I told myself, “Chee, after I get finished, a job, I don’t know what I can be qualified.” So I said, “Well, as long as there are business people, all businesses need a bookkeeper. So I think I better major accounting.” So as I jokingly told my wife, “You know, I majored accounting because I wanted to look at the figures. But that’s not the figure I had in mind.” (Laughter) So anyway, I majored accounting and economics. And I was lucky, really lucky. I studied hard, too. But sophomore and junior year, I improved my grade quite a bit. So I was given, in addition to the GI Bill — junior and senior year — I was given a Matson scholarship. Academic scholarship. Two years, five hundred dollars a year. So, with that, I was able to finish the university without struggling. In [19]60, I graduated. And about two months, or three months, I forgot the exact month, I worked for a CPA company in town. And in the meantime, there was a recruitment from Internal Revenue Service looking for income tax examiners. So, I didn’t have any confidence, but I applied. And for some reason, I was selected. So I became an internal revenue agent. And because of that, I was lucky because each time you have a different kind of job, the government sends you to a school. So with your tax money, I was able to go to Mainland school many times. (Laughter) |
Yeah. I mean, being a government employee, anytime we get
training school, it’s a great deal. Not only do they pay
you for your transportation costs, but they give you per
diem for your hotel bill, yeah. You cannot live in luxury,
but comfortable trip. So as I say, I was lucky, selected,
and I went through a lot of training. First, I was trained
as an office auditor. Primary individual income tax
examination. Office audit, you stay in an office and audit.
Then, two years later, I was selected into revenue agent.
Examine business people. Corporations and businesses. And
each time you get advanced, you go to additional training
schools. So again, several times I was sent to either Los
Angeles, or San Francisco. At one time, I went to Phoenix.
And sometimes, I went to Seattle. Special school. So, with
your expense, tax money, I had additional education.
And I don’t know if you folks remember, some time ago we had price control. Price stabilization days. Okay, that, too, was a special program. And I was selected because I had some grocery experience, especially meat. Because with part of the GI Bill, I went to meat-cutting school in Toledo, Ohio. National school of meat cutting. Become a butcher, fancy name for meat cutter. Had to cut the beef and slice into chops, and whatnot. So I had some experience alongside, so I was selected one of the prime person in the price control days, price stabilization. I was taking charge of supermarkets, primarily. And that lasted a few — I don’t know how long it lasted. But anyway, price control, officially, it’s price stabilization program. Then, continue on, continue with the regular business return examination. Quite a few years. And the five, six years before I retired, I was put in charge of excise tax. Excise tax is a special type of tax. Tax imposed on the gasoline, for instance. Diesel fuel, rubber tires, trucks and buses. And the transportation, air transportation. All kinds of special tax. I was in charge of that. All by myself, I took care of the Honolulu district. And being in charge of one, only by myself. I could select the time period when I want to go to neighbor islands. (Chuckles) Major islands like Kaua‘i, Maui, and Big Island, and of course, this island. And I can select the companies I want to examine. I don’t examine the same company. I select which company I want to select. Pretty much up to my own discretion. And I can arrange my own vacation neighbor islands (chuckles) by selecting the company on neighbor islands. I was lucky. There are a lot of different kinds of tax. Even trucks, for instance. Depending on the weight, different, higher tax rate. Trailer type, regular, heavy tax, I mean, heavy vehicle only. Buses, too. Of course, city and county and government buses are exempt. Army buses are exempt. Private kind, civilian tax. So, being able to speak Japanese, I was selected for a lot of things other than regular assignment. At one time, we had an organized crime conference in Japan, between Japan and the United States. I was one of the delegates from Hawai‘i, I mean, the United States, selected from Honolulu. So, they gave me a plaque for participating in the conference. MK: Your Japanese language ability came in handy again. TH: Yeah, yeah. So I was lucky. So, come to think of it, I grew up in poverty in a poor farm country in Okinawa. But knowing the Japanese, knowing the Okinawan lingo, all became useful over the years. Especially Japanese. Once you get into the job, became useful because I became a resource person in the district office. Anytime when Japanese people come, I was called to interpret, or act as interpreter, or consult. MK: And, you know, the education that you got in the post-war period, going to UH and going to the meat cutter’s school in Toledo, Ohio. All that was possible with the GI Bill. TH: Yeah. MK: How much did you get on the GI Bill? TH: I forget what it was. But anyway, in addition to the government pays the tuition, we used to have allowance. I forgot how much money. Not much, but nothing to sneeze at. Living expense, yeah. I forgot the exact amount I used to get. MK: If you didn’t have the GI Bill, . . . TH: Probably I would never come back to the university. I don’t think my wife could afford to send me to the university with her salary. She was just beginning teaching, too, yeah. She finished the university, what, [19]40-something. I don’t know exactly when she finished the university, here. MK: So she was a young teacher, and you had come back. Working, then you went back to school. TH: So, what I am today, I owe it to my wife. That’s why I’m very nice to her (chuckles). MK: We should say her name. TH: Hmm? MK: We should record her name. TH: Ruby Fumie Higa. Ruby Fumie Miyasato Higa. Her maiden name is Miyasato. MK: And, you know, before we end the interview, I wanted to know, how do you think the war affected you? TH: Value of human life, I guess. We only have one life, and the war is, I think, the worst thing human beings can think of. That’s why I firmly believe this is just the, I guess, ideal. Ideal is just like a dream, yeah. All international disagreements should be settled by diplomatic process rather than war. War is the best - worst thing, I think, human beings can ever think about. I mean, everything we produce, to destroy something. Yeah. Not to reuse and to rebuild something. Any kind of war effort. Main purpose, to make something to destroy something. Just doesn’t make sense. We spend billions and billions of dollars to perfect weapons. What for? Not to make anything useful items. Just to destroy what is useful. To me, that’s the most sensible — senseless thing we human beings can think of. But again, as long as there’s a greed among mankind, maybe war is inevitable. Everybody wants what the other guys have. What you going to have. Yeah? So, as I say, It’s just a dream, maybe. Ideal dream, maybe, but none realistic. Realistically speaking, I’m against war. Not because I’m a peace monger. You know, have nothing to do with that. Of course, peace without war, too, they cannot co-exist. But no, I’m not being a peace monger, no. And that’s why I firmly believe the war we in, Iraq, I think is wrong. To a country where all major ethnic groups are fighting each other for supremacy, to impose democracy that we understand in America, to me, is unrealistic. To me, unrealistic. How are you going to impose something to a people that are fighting each other? Unless they, themselves, come out and realize, yeah. I don’t think it’s going to succeed. Look at Iraq today. Insurgents killing more people than before. And our own president, too. Philosophically, I think he doesn’t know what the hell he’s saying. All justification was what, fear of so-called WMD [Weapons of Mass Destruction], yeah. When they couldn’t find out, now he changed to war on terrorism. I wonder if he realized, instances of terrorism increased tremendously after the fall of Baghdad. I don’t think he realized that. I’m really disappointed, yeah. Defense minister, as well as his cohorts, did not listen to General Shinseki. If General Shinseki, what he said, if they listened to, maybe they could have prevented the mass—what do you call that? — lootage in Baghdad after the fall of Baghdad. If they had enough troops. And if they had enough troops over there to guard the ammunitions that came across and dispose of it, maybe these insurgents couldn’t get a hold of that ammunition. Today, they’re using the same damn thing, hurting us. That’s why I’m disappointed with our leaders. MK: And then, I guess this would be our last question. I know that you had one child born in 1960, another one born in 1964. And what would you want your children to know about the war, and you? TH: Nothing. I haven’t told them everything I know. All I know. I mean, they know I went to war. And they, because I’ve been featured in magazines and a book, they know about me quite a bit. But I never tell them about the war. All I tell them is war is bad. MK: Okay. WN: Thank you very much. MK: Good ending. |
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