User:The.mushroom.maiden/sandbox

During the 133 days of internment at Merced Assembly Center, there were a total of 21 births and 10 deaths. The first birth at camp was a girl born to Mrs. Haruko Agatsuma. The deaths were few, but not unnoticed. In a letter from Mr. Henry Fujita to his boss, Mr. H.A. Strong of Electrolux Corporation, he writes, “there has been a number of unnecessary deaths” due to lack of medical resources and attention. He goes on to describe an incident on July 13th, 1942, where he went to see the camp doctor because his children fell seriously ill and the doctor brushed it off as a common cold. Fujita’s letter further details the kind of conditions that Japanese Americans were forced to endure during this time period that may have contributed to the 10 deaths that occurred. There were a total of 4 weddings administered at Merced Assembly Center during the 133 days. Under the watch of a security guard, the couples were permitted to go to Merced in order to apply for a marriage license, find a wedding dress, and have a wedding picture captured. The weddings were held at Merced Fairground Exhibit Hall with a guest limit of 200. Families at Merced Assembly Center shared a lot of their time together since most were crammed into one small room. There was very little privacy between families as the room partitions did not extend from the floor to the ceilings. It was said that greetings, cries, and screams could be heard from one room to the next.