<Begin Segment 54>

TI: Well, in addition to helping or tutoring some of the Niseis, you also mentioned in a previous conversation how you also helped some junior officers.

RM: Well, later on, after school was over. What happened that matter was, after graduate, everybody graduate and the one came from the camp never had a basic training. So the people transfer from 100th Battalion or so forth, well, they already veterans and they had a basic training and so they didn't need to go through training again. So they waiting for shipment, but the people came from camp... see, in the army, usually they put 'em in the boot camp, train, basic training then send to school. But ours, they're so urgent, they needed train the people so whether, you know, you're handicapped or not they needed people who are proficient in Japanese so they trained that. Then, if people didn't make it, they'd be washed out or, and shipped out other... but the one graduated didn't have education, they're all sent to Camp Shelby, Mississippi. And it so happened that the 442nd was just organized and they're training that segregate 442nd.

TI: Yeah, so let me recap, so what you're saying is so you were rushed to the MIS school for your Japanese training --

RM: Yes.

TI: -- didn't go through basic training and so they shipped you down to (Camp) Shelby, Mississippi, to do your basic training with the 442, which was a segregated Japanese American --

RM: Yes, at Camp Shelby, yes.

TI: -- which was an infantry unit that was being trained to go to Europe.

RM: Right. But what happened is, after the recruiter come around and they picked up the, all the eligible volunteer, then after that the draft started. So there was people being drafted or volunteer who don't have any Japanese knowledge, were sent to Camp Shelby and that's why 442nd was formed.

TI: I'm curious, when you were at Camp Shelby -- this is kind of a follow-up to when you were at Camp Savage -- the Kibeis, because of their Japanese language skills were viewed upon in real positive light because they had really excellent Japanese skills. When you went to Camp Shelby for basic training, sort of infantry skills and things like that, the Japanese language skills weren't, wouldn't be viewed as positive. So were there instances, were there cases where the Niseis at Camp Shelby then looked down upon the Kibeis who were going through basic training? Was it, did it change, in essence, at Camp Shelby?

RM: Yeah, well, some of the Kibeis went to school but couldn't improve much in English because not teaching English, teaching Japanese. So still, some Kibeis never went to school before joining the army, still had a hard time and they probably looked down on them. But as far as a skill like target practice, regular range, things like that, pretty proficient, but... see, the cadre where the people came from Hawaii and they already been soldier in 100th Battalion, so the recruits were from the camp. And so we don't know, we're just not the soldiers, see, just linguist. So the training was hard but then they get stick together because they been schooled together and buddy-buddy system and help out each other so went through there and hike and things like that and help out so that no drop out. And we did our best to finish that and then after completion of basic training, was sent back to Camp Savage and waited for the assignment.

TI: Right, it was during this time when you were waiting for assignment that you were asked to help tutor these junior officers.

RM: Yes. Since I didn't have to study in the free time, so the first, when they did send me to Fort Snelling, then me, well, don't have to learn Japanese because I already knew and in the school I learned about military terms, some of which I knew already but some other new things, then American way of doing it, not the Japanese way. Then about military intelligence and such as the technique of how to interrogate the prisoners, things like that, I learned. So not all of 'em do that because other people still have to brush up their language part, but whereas I... then came back, extra time, then I don't have to brush up anything so they know I now available and then they knew, school knew that I'm Kibei and speak fluent Japanese, so, "How about helping out the language officers?" These language officers were originally college student and learned Japanese but they joined the army, then they're gonna make language officer out of 'em.

TI: So these --

RM: But they needed --

<End Segment 54> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.