<Begin Segment 3>

ME: What was that like when you, when -- first of all, tell me, how did you find out that you were going to be able to volunteer?

BY: It came in (the newspapers). We, we were always on the lookout for thing like that. And when we saw that article, that the, the Niseis were forming, I was really happy to, to get into the army.

ME: Why were you so excited?

BY: Well, never, things like that never happened to me before. And, for one thing, I really thought that I wasn't gonna be picked. This was a big opportunity for me. And several of my friends also went along with me. And some were rejected, and I really felt sorry for them.

ME: Why were they rejected?

BY: I know one of 'em was weight problem. (He was only 94 pounds.)

ME: Oh.

BY: One because of his eyesight, one had bad eyesight. And...

ME: Now, Bruno, it was, I believe, on March 28th that you were formally inducted into the US Army.

BY: Uh-huh.

ME: What was the ceremony like? Where did that take place, and what was the ceremony like?

BY: Well, we all, we marched down to the Iolani Palace. And then they had a big ceremony. Think the governor was there. And we all gathered at the palace grounds, and our friends, families were there. My family didn't come because, well, they live on another island, and I didn't expect them to be there. But, but I really felt proud at that time. And I think we went back to Schofield, and one or two days after that we had to march back to the ship early, at the Pier 10.

ME: To the troopship? What was that march like?

BY: Oh, that was a heck of a march because we had to carry our own (duffle) bag. And the walk was from the railway station to the Pier 10, about 3-quarter of a mile or one mile. And it was really tough.

ME: Did your shoes and your uniform fit okay?

BY: Huh?

ME: How about -- did your shoes fit okay -- the new uniform and the new shoes? Did everything fit?

BY: Well, it was a little oversized, but it didn't matter because when we went to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, we got it changed to a better size.

ME: Okay. When you were marching to the troopship did you have anybody to say goodbye to you at that point?

BY: Yeah. There was some people wait -- this is supposed to be a secret movement.

ME: Right, right.

BY: But there were some of our friends who knew about it, and they were on the side of the street, and they're waving at us and wishing us good luck.

ME: Right.

BY: Bon voyage, all that. (It was kind of sad.)

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.