<Begin Segment 26>

TI: Earlier you mentioned how you didn't really go to reunions because you didn't have much use for army life. So, sort of looking back at your army career, was there anything in particular that you really didn't like about the army?

TY: The war. [Laughs] During the war. Mostly. Well, one thing it was -- these army, veteran organizations, a lot of fellows, not all of 'em but a lot of 'em, some of the fellows like to rehash -- that's one of the best times of their life, I think. Their prime of their life and so they like to talk about the war a lot. And I just didn't want to do that. I mean, I didn't really enjoy that, so... rehash and rehash of the same things you've heard before. It's just, I just didn't enjoy that at all. But now that I get a little bit older... everything about war was, is, was negative, except one good thing come of that is the friends that you make and the camaraderie that you had. I don't think that same type of psychological closeness of individuals, it's very unusual. I think it doesn't take place in any other type of, segment of people's lives. I think in the time of stress, and it's really stressful, I think you get a little closer and the common interest is so limited that, I think that brings them closer.

TI: I'm also wondering, I mean, there's a difference here -- I've interviewed more of the vets who were in the fighting units and in -- it seems to me there's, they talk about one area when they're in battle and they fight, and if one of their men are seriously injured or killed in action, they would just move on, and wouldn't necessarily have to deal with that because it was psychologically too hard for them to be confronted with that. And so they would just keep going because they had to fight or do something.

TY: Yeah right, yeah, yeah.

TI: But I would imagine the aid men would have to deal with that. I mean, on a continual basis, that they would see, in some ways, the most difficult part of the war. The men either --

TY: In the beginning I think it was very hard, but I think you adapt to it. I think because it's what you have to do, that you adapt to it. Well, as I mentioned before, in Company I, when I was a medic, all three medics, I was in 1st Platoon, and 2nd Platoon was Squeaky Kanazawa, and the 3rd Platoon was Victor Izui, only thing unusual about that was that we were all from Seattle. And we all knew each other very well. And so I remember when we were in the front lines, first thing we ask is, "How did Vic do?" Or, "How did Squeaky do? Is he okay?" And we worried more about them than of ourselves really. I was more, asked about them all the time, and they asked, always asked about me. And we were so close. Just like brothers. And it was kinda nice. It was a comfortable feeling to have good friends like that close to you both mentally and psychological and physically like that. It was kind of a comforting feeling that they're worried about you and that was very unusual, very different, I think. Because I don't think any other company had any three medics that were as close as we were. The human side of it is very, kind of interesting, situation like that I think. And as I say, I still talk to Vic. He's getting a little bit hard of hearing like I am so we don't talk over the phone as much. We send, exchange e-mail a lot to each other. [Laughs] And he's a little bit older than I am and he's had physical problem, like he has a pacemaker and all that, so I kinda worry about him, but...

TI: Yeah, it must be hard.

<End Segment 26> - Copyright © 2002 Densho. All Rights Reserved.