<Begin Segment 12>

RTM: In the meantime, Congress had passed a bill to, to activate a, the 442nd. And so they were in a recruitment program at that time. So they came to all the camps to get the recruits. So, being at our age there, we have a little cabin fever, and we have any opportunity to get out of camp -- this was one of them, was to join the service. 'Course, in the meantime, in the back of our heads we were saying that because of the fact that we were being accused of not being loyal to the country and so on, that we had a point to prove that we were just as good Americans as anybody else. And so here was our opportunity to do so. And so we did sign up to join the recruitment program at that time. And I went, when we got through doing that, I went back to our little cabin shack and told the family what was going on. And I told my brother that, "You stay here and take care of the family, and I'll go in the service." I didn't know what his plans were either, but I went to Camp Shelby, Mississippi for training, and lo and behold, here comes my brother, and he and I are in the same company together in Camp Shelby. And I told him, I said, "Well, I thought I told you to stay home." But he had his own ideas, too. Anyway, we trained together in Camp Shelby, went overseas together at that time.

REM: You were in what part of the 442nd?

RTM: I was in the Second Battalion in H Company in 442nd.

REM: And your brother Bill was right beside you?

RTM: Well, he was in a different platoon, but we were in the same company together, yeah.

REM: What happened to Bill?

RTM: Well, we went on line about, let's see, first part of, or end of June, I guess, when we got overseas. And my brother was killed on the 11th of July, so very early in the conflict he was killed in action there in Italy.

REM: How did you learn that he'd been... were you near?

RTM: Well, I saw him the night before he got killed. I mean, we were up on line and I was talking with him. 'Course, after he got killed, my first sergeant looked me up and told me what had happened. So I mean, it was kind of a shock to me, being that I just spoke to him the night before.

REM: Do you remember what you talked about?

RTM: Well, he was talking about what was happening during the war, and he says to me, he says, "Boy, some of these shells are getting awful close." So I make a smart remark like, I said, "Well, what do you want me to tell them when we get home?" [Laughs] I still remember that. I feel bad, like gee, what a smart-aleck I was, to say something like that.

<End Segment 12> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.