<Begin Segment 22>

AI: Well, we're continuing with Tsuguo Ikeda. And when we left off, you had just mentioned about being drafted into the U.S. armed services, and that was December of 1944. And you mentioned how you got an invitation from the navy recruitment office. But when you arrived, you were told that they would not accept you.

TI: Yeah. At that time, they didn't take Japanese Americans in the navy, and it was tough, not even in the army. So I had my basic training in Camp Fanin, Texas, and I was the only Japanese American there.

AI: And how were you treated?

TI: I thought pretty decently. Sergeant was just as rough to all of us, so, you know, as a soldier. And it was one incident, I had a hard time. In Texas, when it rains, it really rains. We were on night maneuvers. Real dark, you (couldn't) see much. You're just plowing through, and you come across a stream and you go on. Well, it was deep, and I went right in. [Laughs] And you (learned) how to hold that rifle up so it doesn't get wet. That's the only thing that was up... so I was pulled out of the water. And that night, we were out in the boondocks, and so I had all this wet clothing in the pup tent, and it was pretty cold, miserable. But that's just a great experience, having it. So treatment was pretty reasonable, I assume, as any other enlistee being trained. And so somehow the navy, the army had kept track of me because I (next) got this invitation to go to Military Intelligence Language School in Fort Snelling, (Minnesota).

AI: Before you got that notice, what did you think was going to happen to you? Did you think that you would eventually end up in the 442 with...?

TI: I had no idea they had a 442 at the time.

AI: Oh. You weren't aware of that?

TI: Yeah. But I didn't know what -- after basic training, what we would be doing. I just had to wait for the order to come, and the order was to go to Minnesota, so off I went. I didn't think I had any choice of saying "no" to that. There were so many of us Niseis that had been drafted into the Fort Snelling program, that (for) two months we stayed in these, we call 'em turkey farms. There were four men in a real small house -- it's not even a house. Had potbelly stove to keep us warm. And we used to go out and report out in the cold weather. Minnesota's very cold. Stand attention and go through certain (military procedures), and then go back in. Some soldiers had to do the job of keep stoking these fires. Fortunately, I didn't have that assignment. But because of my Japanese language school experience before, somehow it suggested I knew more Japanese than others, so they had us ranked from first class to twentieth class level. I was in class five, which they assigned. Myself, I would (have assigned myself to) nineteen or twenty. But somehow we graduated. We spent night and day, Saturdays, studying Japanese, writing it, reading it, speaking it. During that time, I joined the army choir. And then some of my friends were learning how to play the drums in the military band, so I said, "I'd like to try that." I tried, had that unique experience, but I'm not really a drummer. But I kind of faked it, I believe, and really enjoyed it. And then our school was transferred to Presidio of Monterey in California. And so we were the first class to graduate from MIS in Monterey, California. And we knew that the Caucasians, soldiers going to the same training got lieutenant ratings.

AI: They got lieutenant ratings...

TI: Yeah.

AI: ...after graduation from the Military Intelligence School?

TI: Nine months, yeah. And we got nothing, no degree. And they wanted us to volunteer for extra year because there wasn't enough time to ship us to Japan. So there was no promise of any major, sergeant, or recognition of our capacities. So I said, well, I figure there must have been about thirty of us who decided not to volunteer an extra year. And so we ended up for two months doing KP and cutting grass with a dull bayonet, picking up cigarette butts and just wasting two months. And I said, "I'll get to Japan my own way." And I did later. And went back to Portland.

AI: Now, that was 1946 that you graduated...

TI: Yeah.

AI: ...and then finished up your last two months in the service?

TI: Yeah.

AI: And then went back to Portland?

TI: Yeah.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.