<Begin Segment 68>

TI: So what was some of the information that, the important information that you heard while you were up in the tree listening?

RM: Information was that excitedly, sergeant was calling the headquarters saying that there's enemy around there, then, "We're guarding ammunition dump," and then the other side says, "Which one?" See, so they might have several, but so, they mention about thousand yard from the river. So happened that we look at map and coordinate about exactly whereabout, see, because road, and village and right in the spot. So without looking to see, we spotted exactly hidden ammunition dump in the jungle, then later on be destroyed.

TI: So you could tell from the conversation that this Japanese sergeant who was in charge of the ammunition dump --

RM: Two men, he had, with a rifle, so I think they don't know what to do, see.

TI: Right, so, but based on his conversation you could tell exactly where he was located.

RM: Well, mention which one, they ask 'em see. So thousand yard, about thousand, not yard, thousand meters, about the same place, one meter, meter, they call, Japanese use meter, metoru.

TI: And I think you mentioned earlier, too, another thing that helped you was that you found out they were using the same maps that you were. They were British maps.

RM: Yeah, well, Japanese capture this British map so they using that Burma map made by British, so happened that British has their own, so they issue us. So exactly same map we're using, enemy take and then reproduce and we got supply from British. Then we also had advisor from the British liaison officer happen to be a preacher there in that area so they have a vague idea where. So in the same map and talkin', we know exactly where we are because by coordinating we at Walawbum so then the map as well, and there's a river, then we know right. So without lookin' at where the coordinate is right like there, so instead of, go out there and destroy it we, well, some people say I ordered, but no, that's not. See, General -- this message was sent to General Merrill by code, radio, so you could intercept, so we use the code machine and decode, encode, and the other end decode and find out what the message went.

TI: Oh, so good.

RM: Was to General Merrill, then General Merrill contact right away we found ammunition dump, so send, then headquarters want order to... so we get supply mission, the Squadron P-38 come down to drop the bomb and the big boom and it was destroyed. So they give me credit for, because they wanna know who got this information.

TI: Well, because you were the starting point. You intercepted a communication from the sergeant --

RM: Uh-huh.

TI: -- that allowed you to pinpoint where the ammunition dump was, then you gave that information to the people down on the ground, they, through a coded message sent that to, probably, the headquarters and then to General Merrill and then General Merrill was able to order an air strike right on the ammunition dump.

RM: Yeah, on the spot.

TI: Because, in the jungle it would be really hard to see from the air --

RM: But since we got a map and coordinate, they could spot it right away and...

TI: And so this was a, this was a big deal, this was really important for --

RM: Oh yeah, big deal because enemy send a thousand miles from Japan to send precious ammunition. They cannot use it. It was blown up. So that's a big damage to them, so to our benefit. That's why they thought very highly of this information. And later on another information, very critical one, and we intercepted that, too.

TI: So how long were you up in the tree?

RM: Well, almost, practically all day because I couldn't even go urinate because I wet my pants because I don't wanna leave because I don't wanna miss any traffic, communications because important one might go through there.

TI: Now, how about the other linguists? Were they --

RM: Other linguists went up there, so happened that they're good in standard Japanese where we went to school, but don't understand the dialect, I don't think. But nothing come down. But the traffic was there, we know. So in turn they tell me, "Mat, you go up there," so, take a turn but others couldn't catch it, maybe too complicated, well, this strange slang mixed in it so try to figure out everything go there, you cannot ask repeat it, see. So, therefore, nothing come down, see.

TI: So it really was an amazing set of coincidences that this happened, because not only were you in the unit that, you were the one who saw the telephone wires, but, and were able to clip into it and listen, but because of your knowledge of this dialect you were able to understand.

RM: That's right. So --

TI: That if it were another MIS soldier from another unit it would be rare for them to understand this dialect.

RM: Well, if Sergeant Gosho or Sergeant Grant Hirabayashi, they would understand. Well, I don't think the dialect, but if you had knowledge of that, but just so happened that I happened to know the... I don't speak, but usually don't speak, but I understand, listen because I understand all of 'em because I learned that, try to memorize, so...

TI: I imagine this would be for the whole unit, for Merrill's Marauders, this would be a good example of them really being able to see the value of the MIS linguists. That here, because of your language abilities, you were able to pinpoint this target and destroy it without really a loss of lives or anything, it was just from intelligence.

RM: Well, before that, already Hank Gosho been fighting day before, so they realized he, when the enemy give 'em order, he made directly spot translation and we took out major, see, because they're gonna attack, then, so he's very valuable and saved a lotta people's lives. So now they realize how important they were. Then I say, put a, well... [pauses] say that put a frosting on the cake to say that more they realize the importance, how important it was, this information, and spread right away and then spread 'em out, what happen. Well, of course, we do not broadcast, but then come down there, then they knew what gonna take place, so... so I contributed --

<End Segment 68> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.