<Begin Segment 8>

ME: Were you pretty eager to get back into combat?

BY: Well, I wanted to go back with the boys, yeah. When I got back they already had pulled back a little bit for rest. And Shiro was gone already from the company. He, he probably was in the hospital, too.

ME: Did you correspond with anybody while you were in Europe? Did you...

BY: Yeah. I had some friends, a lady friend. And a Dr. Fujita, oh and, classmates.

ME: What would you write in your letters?

BY: Oh, I would write how miserable it is on the line. I'd tell 'em that, that I have lots of brave friends, that I never believed that human being can be such --

ME: Yeah.

BY: Brave as they are. But I always wanted my friends to be, to be as close as possible. And I, I wanted, I wanted them to know that, that bravery starts from the, from the person who does -- not only the person that does all the shooting and this and that, but even on the, in the rear, rear echelon, we had a mess sergeant -- there was a mess sergeant down there to the... he was a real brave person. He would bring hot food on the front line. And we would all enjoy it. And I think that's part of the combat, that, that we appreciate.

ME: Bruno, did, did you learn anything about yourself during your time in Europe?

BY: Did I learn anything? (I learned how important it is to have friends. Sometimes it is really lonesome when you're alone in the foxhole.)

ME: About yourself?

BY: Well, I learned that I wasn't too brave a person. [Laughs] But...

ME: It sounds like you were very brave.

BY: But you gotta stick it out. And one thing I didn't wanna do is, I didn't wanna leave the company. I wanted, I wanted to stay with them right along 'til the end. And what -- even if I was scared or, I wanted to be in the, with the troops, with my company.

ME: Do you ever think about, today, do you ever think about the boys that didn't make it back?

BY: Oh, yeah. Yeah. I had several friends who I, miss badly, I miss, like Mr. Wally Fukeda, Take, Takesu -- what's his name? -- Onaga.

ME: Lots of friends gone.

BY: Yeah.

BY: And I miss our, our Captain Byrnes very much. He was a wonderful captain. I think we're very fortunate to have a person like him. Yeah.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.