Doka B-100 (short story)

Short story by Ernest Nagamatsu on the difficult adjustment to civilian life of a group of World War II veterans. Written in the first person voice of an ex-GI named Hamamoto in 1954, "Doka B-100" coveys both Hamamoto's alienation and the welcoming embrace of Little Tokyo Los Angeles . Estranged from his domineering father because of the way he left the service (despite serving heroically in the 442nd , he quit before his time was up) and his choice of social work as an occupation, Hamamoto's wife had decided to go back to her family in Chicago with their daughter to get away from the arguments. Finding a small apartment in Little Tokyo and a part time job in a diner, he finds a niche in starting to counsel the veterans who would gather in a Little Tokyo pool hall. That work eventually leads to a paying job with the Veterans Administration. The story also incorporates Hamamoto's concentration camp experience and how his family was able to keep their house with the help of neighbors. The title comes from the address of the pool hall and the veterans' customary greeting to each other.

"Doka B-100" was the first place prize winner in the 2014 Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest.

Might also like " The Sensei " by Wakako Yamauchi; Pineapple White by Jon Shirota; No-No Boy by John Okada