My grandpa came from China in 1939. He had to stay in Seattle’s Immigration building for 39 days. After he proved he was the son of a US citizen, he was allowed to enter into America. He first lived in Chinatown at 625 South King Street on the second floor. “My brother was here, and he take care of me. [At] that time I don’t understand English at all, no English. Then I went to school [at] Bailey Gatzert school for foreign class people.” At first he didn’t have a job, but was eventually able to get a job working in a fish cannery in Kodiak Island, Alaska through his brother who knew the cannery foreman. For two years, he would go to work in the cannery in the summer; during the rest of the year he went to school. During World War II, he joined the Navy and helped recruit other Chinese Americans to join. “Everyday I stay in the office, just taking fingerprint from the new guy [who] come [to] the Navy. It was a good job. Then the war was pretty tough down South Pacific. Then everything get tough, everybody had to go to sea. And that time, I still don’t understand much English, but pretty lucky, I go on the ship, meet about, about almost ten Chinese people working the ship. They talk Chinese and then we work in the kitchen. Then we get by pretty good. Then I learn English little by little…then I see lots of action every day, see lots of Japanese suicide plane come tried to hit our ship. I was pretty scared. Pretty lucky, everything safe. Some of the boys pretty scared. Then pretty lucky, I’m safe then I come home. Come home 1945, right about August. Come home 1945 on vacation. Then later on the War is over. Then lucky, I get out of the Navy. Then I stay in Seattle and work for Boeing for eight years. Then work in restaurant, all my life.”

– Cassie Chinn

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