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== Historic ==
* http://www.unr.edu/nevadasilverandblue/archive/2007/spring/NSBS07TellMe.pdf UNR's Nevada Silver & Blue: Tell Me How Nevada Was, From the files of the University of Nevada Oral History Program
FiGHTiNG FOr THe SaMe Side
Roy Nishiguchi, a Fort Ord, Calif.-based
U.S. Army medic, saw his Japanese-American
family become outcasts during the war. His
father, Masaichi Nishiguchi, had been a section
foreman for the Western Pacific Railroad in
Gerlach, Nev., 70 miles north of Reno, since
1933. But after Pearl Harbor the railroad forced
him to leave his job and his property in 1942.
Roy Nishiguchi, who attended the University
for two years just after war’s end, picks up the
story in his own oral history, dictated in 1992.
He is a soldier in conflict, devoted to both fam-
ily and country. His excerpt about wartime in
this country tells the other side of the Art Smith
story, although both Smith and Nishiguchi,
ironically, were fighting for the same side.
Many years before the war my dad was
carving a toy boat for me, whittling away and
talking about war. He said, “roy, if Japan and
america fight who you
going to fight for?”
i said, “Japan.”
He said, “Baka (fool)! 
You were born in this
country; you are an
american. You fight for
your country.”
i was about �2 or
�3. “You told me how
Japanese would fight to the
death for their country,” i said. “i’m Japanese,
so i’ll fight for them.”
He said, “You are american. This is your
country — you fight for this country.”
dad wanted to be an american so bad that
he even adopted Sam for his first name; but
because of his race, he was out — immigra-
tion law prevented those born in Japan from
being naturalized. even though he was bitter
about this, he studied american history and
read american literature. “i’m going to keep
on reading,” he told me. “everything i read is
for me. Whether anybody else wants it or not
doesn’t matter.”
My dad loved his job and thought that be-
ing a section foreman for the railroad was all
a man could want. He had tried to persuade
me to follow in his footsteps: “You have your
house furnished; you have your coal, and your
kerosene for lighting,” he had said. “What
more could you ask? You can’t get that any-
where else.” The railroad was his life.
in January following Pearl Harbor, the
Western Pacific kicked my father out — took
his job away, claiming he was a security risk....
He and Mom were ordered to leave their
house and get off railroad property, and since
the railroad practically owned Gerlach, they
didn’t know what to do. Their other son, art,
had been inducted into the army the week
before, but one of my friends who hadn’t yet
been drafted helped them. He got a bunch of
fellows together and rented a little trailer for
Mom and dad. it was just big enough to hold
a double bed, and they moved it to a site that
was off railroad property, which meant it was
out in the desert, out in the sagebrush. Stuck
out there in the boondocks that’s what my
mother and dad lived in through the winter.
No toilet facilities, no nothing.
My sister Mary and her husband, Chad
Chadwell, journeyed from Tennessee to care
for my preteen sisters, who had been sepa-
rated from Mom and dad. When Mary wrote
to me and told me about the situation, i bor-
rowed money from army buddies and made
my way back to Gerlach. i walked out to the
trailer and knocked on the door. at first there
was no response: Mom and dad were scared!
They were afraid that someone had come out
there to blast them. i called out, “it’s roy,” and
my dad finally opened the door.
Well, there wasn’t a thing i could do for
them. i only had a seven-day furlough, and
no money. What could i do? i didn’t know
anything. My friend Paul Wayne told me, “Go
back to Fort Ord. We’ll look out for your mom
and dad.” So i went back to Fort Ord, and
eventually Mary was able to rent a house in
reno and move our family into it.
The army pulled all the Nisei off the West
Coast and transferred us to inland units.
although we didn’t know where we were
going, i, for one, thought that i would soon be
in combat. Boy, was i wrong! We Nisei were
americans, soldiers in the united States army;
but for a year following Pearl Harbor, my group
was given only the kinds of jobs that had been
performed by work details from the stockade. i
ended up assigned to the �85�st Service unit at
Camp Wolters, Texas, a trained medic serving
the army by emptying garbage cans.
* * *
after the war, Nishiguchi enrolled as a 30-
year-old at Nevada on the Gi Bill, but did not
finish his schooling. He became material fa-
cilities officer at Stead air Force Base, located
just north of reno, and then was warehouse
supervisor for K-Mart in reno. He retired
from K-Mart in �986 and died in 2002.  nN
In 1995, the program published excerpts from
Art Smith’s and Roy Nishiguchi’s oral histories in
War Stories: veterans remember WW ii.
Roy Nishiguchi

Revision as of 09:03, 7 June 2007

misc

Situated between Black Rock Desert on the east and Smoke Creek Desert on the west, the townsite of Gerlach lies in country long occupied by prehistoric man. John C. Frémont traveled through Northern Paiute Indian lands when he camped here in 1843 and named "Boiling Springs" 1/4 mile north of town. This was also emigrant country; the Noble Road left the Applegate-Lassen Trail at Black Rock Springs, went past this site and southward through Smoke Creek Desert toward Susanville. The town was established when the Western Pacific Railroad was constructed in Nevada 1905-1909. It still functions as a railroad division headquarters.


Gerlach—A town on the Western Pacific Railway, 125 miles northeast of Reno, 438 miles northeast of San Francisco, 483 miles west of Salt Lake City, 94 miles west of Winnemucca, Nev. ; railroad division point. Stages from this town to Eaglesville, Cedarville, Bidwell-Modoc Co., California. Population, 500. Has express, Western Union telegraph, hotels, several stores, school house. Shipping point for many towns north and west.

maps


railroad

Between 1907-1909, the Western Pacific Railroad built another transcontinental line through northern Nevada. Gerlach, established as a depo ton this line at that time, remains largely supported by railroad activities today.

weather forecasts


earthquake

   Earthquake 2007108_204586: 04/18/2007 08:42:55 GMT, M=3.30, 39.1852 -120.1364, 0.0000km depth, Bias: pga=-0.60 pgv=-0.60 
   N07B: Gerlach, NV, USA (TA)
   Coordinates: 40.7797 -118.9711 Dist: 203.1 km 
   BHE -0.0006 cm/s  0.0007 %g
   BHZ -0.0006 cm/s  0.0006 %g
   BHN -0.0005 cm/s  0.0007 %g

Historic

FiGHTiNG FOr THe SaMe Side Roy Nishiguchi, a Fort Ord, Calif.-based U.S. Army medic, saw his Japanese-American family become outcasts during the war. His father, Masaichi Nishiguchi, had been a section foreman for the Western Pacific Railroad in Gerlach, Nev., 70 miles north of Reno, since 1933. But after Pearl Harbor the railroad forced him to leave his job and his property in 1942. Roy Nishiguchi, who attended the University for two years just after war’s end, picks up the story in his own oral history, dictated in 1992. He is a soldier in conflict, devoted to both fam- ily and country. His excerpt about wartime in this country tells the other side of the Art Smith story, although both Smith and Nishiguchi, ironically, were fighting for the same side.

Many years before the war my dad was carving a toy boat for me, whittling away and talking about war. He said, “roy, if Japan and america fight who you going to fight for?” i said, “Japan.” He said, “Baka (fool)! You were born in this country; you are an american. You fight for your country.” i was about �2 or �3. “You told me how Japanese would fight to the death for their country,” i said. “i’m Japanese, so i’ll fight for them.” He said, “You are american. This is your country — you fight for this country.” dad wanted to be an american so bad that he even adopted Sam for his first name; but because of his race, he was out — immigra- tion law prevented those born in Japan from being naturalized. even though he was bitter about this, he studied american history and read american literature. “i’m going to keep on reading,” he told me. “everything i read is for me. Whether anybody else wants it or not doesn’t matter.” My dad loved his job and thought that be- ing a section foreman for the railroad was all a man could want. He had tried to persuade me to follow in his footsteps: “You have your house furnished; you have your coal, and your kerosene for lighting,” he had said. “What more could you ask? You can’t get that any- where else.” The railroad was his life. in January following Pearl Harbor, the Western Pacific kicked my father out — took his job away, claiming he was a security risk.... He and Mom were ordered to leave their house and get off railroad property, and since the railroad practically owned Gerlach, they didn’t know what to do. Their other son, art, had been inducted into the army the week before, but one of my friends who hadn’t yet been drafted helped them. He got a bunch of fellows together and rented a little trailer for Mom and dad. it was just big enough to hold a double bed, and they moved it to a site that was off railroad property, which meant it was out in the desert, out in the sagebrush. Stuck out there in the boondocks that’s what my mother and dad lived in through the winter. No toilet facilities, no nothing. My sister Mary and her husband, Chad Chadwell, journeyed from Tennessee to care for my preteen sisters, who had been sepa- rated from Mom and dad. When Mary wrote to me and told me about the situation, i bor- rowed money from army buddies and made my way back to Gerlach. i walked out to the trailer and knocked on the door. at first there was no response: Mom and dad were scared! They were afraid that someone had come out there to blast them. i called out, “it’s roy,” and my dad finally opened the door. Well, there wasn’t a thing i could do for them. i only had a seven-day furlough, and no money. What could i do? i didn’t know anything. My friend Paul Wayne told me, “Go back to Fort Ord. We’ll look out for your mom and dad.” So i went back to Fort Ord, and eventually Mary was able to rent a house in reno and move our family into it. The army pulled all the Nisei off the West Coast and transferred us to inland units. although we didn’t know where we were going, i, for one, thought that i would soon be in combat. Boy, was i wrong! We Nisei were americans, soldiers in the united States army; but for a year following Pearl Harbor, my group was given only the kinds of jobs that had been performed by work details from the stockade. i ended up assigned to the �85�st Service unit at Camp Wolters, Texas, a trained medic serving the army by emptying garbage cans.

  • * *

after the war, Nishiguchi enrolled as a 30- year-old at Nevada on the Gi Bill, but did not finish his schooling. He became material fa- cilities officer at Stead air Force Base, located just north of reno, and then was warehouse supervisor for K-Mart in reno. He retired from K-Mart in �986 and died in 2002. nN In 1995, the program published excerpts from Art Smith’s and Roy Nishiguchi’s oral histories in War Stories: veterans remember WW ii. Roy Nishiguchi

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