Michael Sumida and Hazel Diaz

00:04 Hi, my name is Michael James M. I'm 33 years old. Today's date is Tuesday, September 14th, 2021. I am in Tacoma Washington and my conversation partner is Hazel anyone and I am in Annville Pennsylvania and I am here with my interview partner and some going to dive right into it. Can you tell me where you were born at and what it was like, growing up?

00:44 I was born in the Great Pacific Northwest in a town called Puyallup at.

00:54 What is a Good Samaritan Hospital, which is coincidentally enough, right next to Puyallup Fair, which was actually a

01:07 Pot lodging place before it was a sir and then it was an internment camp, and then it became a fair again.

01:18 Set alarm. Yeah, I was born in Puyallup. Washington. What was it? Like growing up there? What was it? Like growing up in Puyallup and Tacoma, Washington, Tacoma jobs. Spanaway. These are all like pretty close to each other. It was like

01:40 Growing up in the

01:44 It's like, I don't know. It was like a suburb with a bunch of different bunch of different people because we live, right next to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which is a, which is a Joint Base at the Air Force Base and an army base to combined. So, there was a lot of

02:06 Different cultures and diversity of growing up. But for the most part,

02:14 Most part it was like, you know, any normal place in America, I guess.

02:19 Do you have any siblings? What did your parents do? What was your family like growing up?

02:28 I have two other half sisters from my dad's first marriage. That I'm the strange 2 for the most part. And then I have an older brother.

02:41 His name is Christopher and

02:47 And my parents, while my dad was was a police officer for Seattle, Police Department for 30 years as a half Japanese, half Native American.

03:03 Man, and then my mom is

03:07 Has had a couple different jobs, but

03:13 I think the last one she had that I remember was being a sous chef for Pacific Lutheran University.

03:27 She's Filipino and Eastern European and

03:36 I don't know. What was the question again?

03:40 Kind of what was your family structure life like at home growing up? So I'm wondering being that your dad was a cop for thirty years. What your relationship with your dad was like, what's your dad like

03:56 My dad is like beating all the statistics that you typically hear about a Cop dad's. He wasn't a drunk people. He was around and tired. As far as I don't know, Native American and a veteran. I was

04:26 In some ways are blessed to have both my parents. There weren't then I have troubles with integrating into mainstream Society for the most part. So it wasn't really any substance abuse or anything like that. My dad showed up to all my wrestling matches.

04:49 My mom taught me how to cook.

04:54 My brother taught me how to be a bully, you know, normal.

04:59 What is it nuclear family or whatever? We're like for some reason in Western Society. We always decided like

05:11 You have to make it on your own by yourself isolated from like your grandparents or like your brothers or anything, which is weird, but they are exactly that. We have two dogs.

05:30 We didn't go on summer vacations too often. But is there anything that you would like your parents to know this? Again. This is an archived obituaries. Is there anything that you think history should know about your parents?

05:48 Yeah, maybe anything you've wanted to say to your parents that you've liked never sat down and like really look them in the eye to say. I kind of had to do that last year cuz my dad died of pancreatic cancer.

06:06 Which his mom actually died of breast cancer from the same. She no indicator.

06:17 She, she died actually 16 years old. So my dad never really well when he was 16 years old, so I never really got to know my, my grandma on my dad's side.

06:32 Being native.

06:34 Being a native man. My dad never.

06:44 How do you say that? I guess there was something you didn't talk about being made of you know.

06:55 And being a veteran.

06:57 Cuz actually interesting Lee enough me. My brother. My mom and my dad are all veterans. My mom and my dad were in the Air Force, and my brother was a Blackhawk mechanic in the Army, and I was a medic in the Army. So.

07:17 Great source of personal Pride to be a family that serves this country. I love, I love the land. And some of the people sound like, okay, I looking for

07:34 What I would like to say to my dad about growing up.

07:39 I would like to say to my father, Pastor Generations that

07:47 I would say, although I lost a lot of culture being.

07:53 Removed from Native American culture. The way, do you know in North America? We are with Indian residential schools was my grandma's experience that she ran away from Canada to the United States and then my father's experience as a Native. American was essentially

08:15 Putting your head down and grinding away.

08:20 I was lucky to escape a lot of generational traumas.

08:27 That I would say a lot of people my age.

08:32 That had different family Dynamics.

08:37 Can an experience. I got really lucky to have?

08:42 A very present mother and father, throughout my entire childhood, which I think hopefully is made me a decent human being

08:53 You had mentioned that your mom and your dad and your brother. All served. Did you feel that that was part of the reason that you join the Army or what? What was your motivation behind that and how did your family react when you decided?

09:20 Well, there's only really three reasons to join the military honor, college education.

09:30 You're criminal with no way out typically historically in the United States. I definitely had a sense of Honor about it. Having your entire family served its like a non spoken, kind of expectation.

09:52 But also, I wasn't that great of a

09:57 A student in my formative years and I knew that going straight out of high school to college, wasn't really.

10:08 My pathway at the moment. So I was like, you know what? I'm a join the military. I'm going to get some money in my pocket and while I think about going to college

10:20 I'll do this other thing being a medic, see if I like that. So that my main motivation for joining the military other than honor is

10:34 Was to get a college education because it's hard out here to make a living.

10:43 Was there anything about the service? That surprised? You? I mean knowing that you're you have a lot of family members aware.

10:52 Sorry, sorry.

10:55 None of you had a lot of family members that were in the service. Was there anything that you didn't expect or that surprised you when you were first enlisted where you listed as

11:13 Is there anything that I had? That was different about the military that I didn't know about about the army or being a medic?

11:30 I mean, there's a lot of things that surprised you Reyes, like,

11:37 How much Administration can bog down? The efficiency of doing something necessary menu healthy pants with continuing education in the military? If you don't have any time for that?

12:11 That.

12:13 If you.

12:17 If you show up on time, we're in the right stuff.

12:22 And men, only don't say the wrong stuff you could easily.

12:28 Promoted for the most.

12:36 Other things that surprise me.

12:40 How good breakfast always was the fact that they always have hot coffee.

12:49 The fact that when I count up all the hours that I was actually working making less than like, you know, 50 cents an hour, but that's okay. That's all part of the experience, right?

13:08 What was the best part of the experience?

13:13 The best part of the experience was going places. You would have never gone. If you had not joined in seeing things that you would have never seen or experienced. If she had not been in the military time moment. In time. I mean,

13:32 You don't often see oil, fill is on fire in Iraq, or

13:40 Wells being made over roads. Being built water.

13:46 IDs be exploded unless you go there.

13:54 Is there, is there anything you miss about your time in service?

14:01 I would say, you know, the Band of Brothers, the camaraderie of arms.

14:09 Even when I say that was like my facetious undertone. The reality is, is that you do feel connected to the people that you experience is with. Especially since I thing like being in the military as a giant,

14:29 It's a giant Administration machine that you can very easily get lost them. And

14:36 Having people to commiserate your misery with really helps.

14:44 Yes, bonding is real. Is there is there anything that you don't miss about the service that you glad is over?

14:54 Having to wake up early when I don't want to ever like ever again being questioned about about my uniform at any point paying respect to people that I don't think deserve my respect.

15:24 But the thing about that is, you know, you got to think about it at the time of the military teaches you a lesson about that is that there's always going to be somebody that's your boss that you do.

15:37 Really like get along with respect, hold in high regard. So

15:47 You learnt, thanks.

15:51 Is there anything about the lessons that you have learned that you carry with? You know, with you everyday?

16:01 Yeah.

16:05 Life is a test that you taken. You get to study, you get to study material afterwards.

16:15 That's what I, that's what I've learned in the military is that you should expect the unexpected failed to get the proper material, was studying the test again, and most of the test that you fell or test that aren't

16:34 Like actual like you know paper and Pen tasks like oh I should have said that instead of this this opportunity. I don't know when this will come again, but I know that this is the right answer.

16:47 After the fact.

16:50 I guess, speaking of after-the-fact. How long have you been out of the service now?

16:58 11.

17:01 11 years. And

17:07 Like 9 months.

17:10 So August 22nd 2006 to August 23rd 2010.

17:20 A while ago.

17:24 Can you tell me about transitioning back into the civilian world then and what that was like?

17:37 Transitioning into civilian life is like,

17:45 Waking up on a flatable mattress, on a lake.

17:52 Like,

17:54 They're like, oh yeah, we're good. We got all these programs will help you out, you know, make sure you land on your feet and that's like the mattress part but like

18:06 Yeah, actually try to like go get a job talk about, I don't know, your trauma bonding or your PTSD or get medical care within a timely matter into the VA office.

18:22 It's like getting off of that mattress and having to swim to shore to get the things you want. You don't know how like

18:32 If you like wake up on this mattress on the middle of let you know, how far to the edge to actually get to land it is but you know, you have to do it right? Like and in this metaphor land is like normal and Society.

18:52 I would say it's hard trying to relate to people, that don't have those experiences, the military, very much horses that are the certain personality traits in your personality, to Bubble, to the surface and other parts of it, too.

19:14 Fade away very easily. I mean,

19:21 The US.

19:24 The military just like she do, you know.

19:30 Bulay machismo, Rambo characters that like, can emotionally process. The idea of actually killing a human other human being, or that like

19:43 You know.

19:45 That kid, the reason that kid is like, you know, asking for candy bar everyday is cuz he knows he can sell it for $0.05. So they

20:00 Sorry, I was going off on tangents. I'm wondering if you would have any advice for people getting out of the service today, from the decade that you've been out in the adjustments that you had to make in order to transition back into the civilian world.

20:25 Transition, tired. No one will understand. And even the people that do understand your situation is going to be completely different from the experience that they experienced.

20:36 So,

20:39 Have a good support network have family or friends or at least one other person that you can talk to about this stuff without any fear of judgment.

20:52 Yeah, mainly the fear of judgement right cuz like

20:56 Being a dude in a

21:00 Patriarchal society, having feelings, or showing affection, or being soft? And any kind of way is typically seen as a

21:11 Weak beta male.

21:14 Yes, even though it's that whole demographic is so, yes, you're going to take some bread study of wolves and apply to you and things, that makes no sense.

21:32 Yeah, I would say that.

21:34 Have a good chorus, like two or three people like the reality is.

21:42 Military gay, you less and less friends, and having to have five. Good friends has retired. And if you have that, you can probably survive anything to be honest. As long as you're continually talking to him, the tistic, Lee, that's what they say. They say, you know, people that talk to you the same people throughout their lives. They have 10 years longer, have way. Less stress. Don't have hard heart attacks. Eat healthier Support Network that has

22:21 The house provided that foundation for you.

22:27 Well, since my entire family is in the military with my brother, my mom and my dad at the time, cannot relate to what I did and the other friends that could relate were like completely, you know.

22:44 Converted however, you want to say and do a mullet. They love the military lifestyle. So I

22:53 Didn't really have anything to talk to them about cuz I did too.

23:00 Did not enjoy my time in the military to be frank.

23:08 I would say that.

23:11 The friendships you fart after.

23:15 Your military service more defined, you as an individual than the friendships. You've

23:23 Develops a cultivated before, because you have to

23:32 Purposely decide the kind of person you want to be after the military, then the kind of person to tell you to be in the military.

23:44 What I can do, what I can to do.

23:48 Make about the type of person you want to be after.

23:52 I wanted to be the kind of person that

23:58 Hold values over material possessions.

24:06 And that will only work with people that align with my personal values. I would say that before, joining the military. I was very much. Okay, doing a lot of things that I would now consider morally compromising to my own integrity.

24:28 And after,

24:32 I just simply refuse to live life where I need to compromise my moral integrity at all.

24:40 Without it being my own volition, you know.

24:48 I feel like a lot of the time you get horse into scenarios and situations in the military, where you have to go, along with whatever is happening because

24:59 You have to.

25:07 Did you run into any situations? Where?

25:11 He had to make that compromised. You know, it really solidified. That, that was something you're not willing to do again.

25:51 There's a lot of things.

25:56 Tell us about a story or scenario that.

26:00 Really highlighted to you at the time that this is something that you didn't want to compromise again.

26:10 And it doesn't have to be related to your time and service. It can be related to your life. And anyway, you see.

26:16 Valuable.

26:19 Just got to tell better story about you and your values and kind of how you think. The thing that upset me, the most morally about the military is the sexual harassment of women.

26:35 In general.

26:37 Like it is an ongoing. Incestuous problem in the military.

26:43 Bet every single.

26:47 Female medic, I ever knew was sexually harassed by sergeant. That was above them.

26:53 Ever.

26:54 Like almost all of them, so

27:00 Seeing that and saying that, like essentially every system, safety Network that you're supposed to use to like.

27:11 Stop. That doesn't really do anything with the realization that I don't want to work.

27:21 For an organization that I don't know the head of

27:26 Like, and

27:33 It's something that you can't really talk about while you're in the military at all.

27:40 You know.

27:44 Stuff like sexual assaults missing, you know, soldiers getting moved from certain battalions, the other battalions with essentially no punishment for the kinds of things. They have done to other soldiers.

28:05 What's something that just

28:07 Irks me in a way that I just could not.

28:12 Willingly and knowingly continue to be in that organization seeing those things.

28:22 You know, every person that's in the military counts down the days until they're out.

28:29 Unless you like it, so.

28:36 Can you tell us about an incident or a specific time? That this was basically caught your attention or change, you know, the way they do, you know, when I didn't get to the hhc, duty choice, to work in the medical office and I got put out to like a route clearance unit and the female got put in there. And then

29:07 My sergeant tried to sleep with her, you know, just that kind of stuff.

29:14 It's like,

29:21 Just makes me sad about the state of.

29:26 American male culture.

29:31 Have you shared another? You had mentioned that?

29:35 This is something you can really talk about while you're in the service, but I'm wondering, is this something that you've spoken out about since you left the service?

29:50 Oh, yeah, I mean, yeah.

29:53 I mean, anybody who has ever asked me, like, do you want to join the military or I'm like, or as ask me, anything or typically it's women in my life thinking about joining the military and I'm like,

30:14 You got to know what you're getting into. Like.

30:19 I kind of try to be like, you know, like

30:22 Kind of like when you're working as like a bartender, but like you're not a bartender.

30:34 Do you work in the medical field? Now?

30:39 I do not. I am. I'm an accountant. I work.

30:45 I work for a Native American nonprofit in Seattle.

30:49 And how do you feel that your experience in the military has helped prepare do for your new civilian life in your current role.

31:01 I would not have been able to go to the college that I went to to get my accounting degree. If I was not in the military.

31:12 Without experiencing that I want to know that I could get. I want to I've had the confidence to get my accounting degree.

31:24 Do you miss the medical field?

31:36 Yes, and no.

31:38 Tell us about the yes, and then tell us about the know the most caring people and the military in the medical field are like nurses and First Responders. And like my least favorite part about the medical field. Doctors.

31:56 And you think doctors would be the people that like a little bit more, but typically they have some sort of egotistical.

32:08 Are about themselves like they can't do any wrong cuz they like six people like

32:16 Regardless that I'm a married Captain. I'm going to be sleeping with all these nurses. Like,

32:23 That, and the way that doctors talk to other medical professionals that have a lesser.

32:37 Degree license for the num.

32:42 Typically like,

32:47 How to how do you say talking down?

32:51 Yeah, I don't doctors are full of themselves, but I guess you got to be to try to save people's lives.

33:04 Is there anything about your life? Pastor in our future that you want to be part of your legacy or that you want to leave for future Generations?

33:21 What can you ask a question again?

33:24 So good. Is there, is there anything that you want to leave in this archive anything you want to say to Future Generations about your past present, or future?

33:37 Yeah.

33:40 I'm a veteran from Hyatt First Nations.

33:43 We live on unseeded.

33:48 Territory on Vancouver Island, British Columbia since Diamond memorable.

33:56 We are people of the fish and as the trees, we are liars. And fishermen, we will always be there.

34:09 We have a Duty and

34:12 Stewardship to our land that

34:18 We need to take.

34:20 Deeply into consideration for our future Generations.

34:26 You cannot just.

34:31 Drain the swamp as they say.

34:36 Yes, I have to put stuff back in the swamp or else you don't have here.

34:43 Great, biodiversity, that you need.

34:48 I wish that people cared.

34:54 As much about the land and their interactions in this reality as they do about themselves, and I hope that

35:08 This reaches, somebody that needs to

35:20 Can you tell us about the work that you're doing with your nonprofit?

35:30 In Seattle, feeding and

35:35 We do almost outreach program. So we do 250 lunch meal breakfast meals and lunch meals. Do you give out in downtown to come off of downtown? Seattle off of 2nd and yesler?

35:52 What is the name of the nonprofit? Chief Seattle Club?

35:58 We are currently building an 80 units, low income housing building project in downtown Seattle. That has a

36:10 Health Center Grand by Seattle, Indian Health Board, and a cafe on the first floor. And then the next eight floors or loan to low-income subsidized housing, specifically, train our most Native Americans, their single single single dwelling of a single unit, adult dwellings.

36:33 Which we actually plan on opening this November.

36:39 It's supposed to be our, our certificate of occupancy opening date.

36:49 My organization has whole job is to help homeless Native. Americans are just Native Americans in general, is all tribes.

37:06 It feels good to be doing accounting and the nonprofit land.

37:14 It's

37:17 It's something that fills my cup as they say.

37:28 Yeah, I don't see anything else. What are you most proud of in your life? At this point? I am most proud of in this life. At this point. Is I had a daughter. Her name is Catalina in October of last year. She's about to be one years old.

37:51 And she

37:56 It's also.

38:02 I don't know your legacy. Your brother. Jay. You're

38:07 How is your oil changed since Catalina, since it was just a few months ago that she wasn't here. And now that you've brought this new person into the world. How has your perspective shifted since then?

38:27 I weigh more tear into femanon products than I ever thought I would be before. That's for sure. Also.

38:43 A realization that almost 99% of.

38:49 Gender normative stuff and Society is just stuff. We, like made up and perpetuated. I think the only two real gender roles in society is motherhood and fatherhood and Matt.

39:03 Isn't necessarily carrying a baby. No motherhood isn't necessarily carrying a baby and father hid is unnecessarily, raising your own kid. So

39:20 How has having a daughter?

39:26 Change your perspective about the patriarchy and men in our society.

39:33 Having a daughter as changed my view on patriarchy, in the fact that

39:41 Most men don't live clean.

39:45 Life's Morley.

39:49 And I think that the most important thing of fatherhood is

39:54 Moral cleanliness.

39:59 Can you define that for us?

40:02 Moral cleanliness.

40:15 Well, there's there's three sayings and how high it is just knocked out of luck, which is everything, is 1 things that we are not separate.

40:25 Things we do affect others, even if we don't want them to and things that affect others affect us, even if they, we don't want them to

40:37 Kazak is also up most respect.

40:43 Don't worry. I live next to a train to

40:52 Most respect so carry yourself in a way that what you sow up, most respect all the things that you encounter in your life and

41:07 In care of, so do things and care of future Generations. So if you believe that everything is one, you have everything that you interact less without must respect your caring for the future Generations. Don't really need to

41:27 Do anything else?

41:31 Is, is there anything you would like to leave a message if you'd like to give your daughter?

41:41 You know, and or even her family a hundred years from now, this archive come back to listen to your words. Is there anything that you'd like?

41:53 10 part on them during our last moments together here.

42:02 Your strip for you from a strong bloodline. We survived smallpox and all the Western diseases. We are the ancestors. They couldn't the car and I just could not kill and will continue to be here in defiance of their unjust. Occupation of our land until they become a memorable. And we are the only ones left.

42:29 Is there anything you'd like to say to?

42:36 Your daughter's mother or your other family members and closing.

42:44 I'm sorry, if I said anything that you disagree with, this is just my opinion.

42:52 If you don't like it record your own session.

43:00 And is there anything you'd like to say to your brother? Who we did not get to talk too much about? What's your brother's name?

43:11 Anything. I would like to say to my brother.

43:17 I love you, but you're like, literally one of the laziest natives. I know like.

43:27 The guy I like,

43:30 I'm like, hey, here's his paperwork to get your citizenship card and then like he like

43:36 And I fill it out like the hereditary like tree line part and then he likely has it under his laptop for 9 months. And then I was like and then I like bring it up again. I'm getting a dividend check and I was like, what and I'm like, yeah do the paperwork that I gave you nine months ago and he's like no, I don't like

44:02 You're you're at the other one. You're supposed to be the

44:07 Kaboski, I love him. I love him. Now, is the heart.

44:23 Our family, the will of our family, if I'm the brains of it. He's got hearts.

44:28 And anything you would like you would like to say to your mother.

44:34 Stop sending me Christian bullshit.

44:38 I don't need Jesus. I will definitely tell Catalina about Jesus. I swear.

44:48 Probably won't be able to avoid learning about Jesus so you can like not send me Bible verses anymore. That be great. Okay, that's all our time. So, I just want to make sure there's nothing else you wanted to talk about and thank you for your time. Thank you for sharing. So much of your story and your life with us today. Thank you. Thank you so much.