Densho Digital Repository - Kay Yatabe Interview (Densho ID: ddr-ajah-1-9-6)

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PW: So I know he was drafted, inducted into the army and he served two years. Did he ever talk about that?

KY: Yeah. They took a test, they were given a test on language aptitude, and he did well on that, because remember, he was a smart guy. And it didn't matter that he was Japanese, but he was sent to, for six months to study conversational Japanese at Yale. So that was a real experience for him to go through New York and be able to go to New York City, be in New Haven. And so he spent the six months learning Japanese. I would imagine he was relearning. I mean, he knew, he spoke Japanese at home.

PW: And this was maybe 1944 and '46?

KY: '45.

PW: '45?

KY: '45, yeah. See, now, his older brother had volunteered for the 442. So Uncle Tak, at the old age of thirty-five, volunteered. And he's got numerous Purple Hearts and stuff and was in Italy. Of course, I asked, "Well, why didn't you go?" to my father, and he kind of says, well, first he says, "Well, one in the family is enough," and he felt like he didn't have to prove that he was an American. My father was very identified with being American.

PW: So after being trained in the language department at Yale, what happened to him then?

KY: He went to Japan. He went to Japan, I think it was in Yokohama. He was technically supposed to be a draftsman or something, but I think he ended up doing a lot of interpreting. And I'm not sure why, but I got the impression that he would run into a lot of prostitutes, young Japanese women, and he would help them. I mean, that's what he would talk about, was helping people, and that he would, whenever he got care packages from America, he would give gifts to his superiors. During the whole time he was in the army, from day one, he wrote a letter to my mother. And he has lovely handwriting, and so I have two shoeboxes full of these letters, because my mother saved every one. Now, did he save hers? No, he was moving around. But I've got these letters, and I actually... right after my mother died, one of my Hawaii cousins was here. We were looking at it and she's sort of reading it, and she's cracking up because towards the end, towards the end of this time in the service, there's different things being discussed, and I just couldn't, I don't want to hear it. So I had looked at the early ones, but it's just so funny to hear, here they are. I mean, they're in love, they're young. It's just funny to read my father being as demonstrative in words, because he was not demonstrative in person. So that was really, it was very cute. So I've got all these letters, I haven't looked at all of them, and I'm planning on giving them to someplace like the museum.