<Begin Segment 79>

TI: Okay, we'll, we can talk about that then, but let's, let's go back to New Delhi and so you were assigned to New Delhi and what happened then, next?

RM: Oh. So Sergeant Grant Hirabayashi and I were assigned to Royal Air Force. That is the British Air Force, so we know we gonna have a desk job for a change instead of combat. So we would be probably doing the translation, or if they captured prisoners, maybe interrogating, but thought a good job. Then went to town one day and, with a bunch of, four or five of us, walking the street of New Delhi and here comes a British general, officer, so here comes officer been talkin' about, but nobody saluted. Then when get too close and nobody saluted, so, "Soldier," said, "Yes, sir," we salute. It's too late. "You disrespect to the general officer so give us your names." Then we gave 'em name, "You'll be court-martialed," disrespectful for the general.

TI: So Roy, so why --

RM: But, so we reported back to our officer so we don't wanna stand the court-martial --

TI: But Roy, before you go there, why didn't you salute the general?

RM: Well, oh, the reason is, we were told not to salute or say "sir" in a combat. If enemy see you salute then saluted back, he was the one get the shot. If one bullet left, who get the shot? The one that return the salute, so you don't salute. That was the order.

TI: So your --

RM: Also you don't say "sir." Then the other one, you know, would be shot.

TI: So your combat training --

RM: So combat was, this our, well... you have to carry out that, remember that you don't forget that so still, you know, we just forgot it We're not in combat but, see, just force of habit. Then, just ignore. So that's our luck probably but we made a mistake there. We should have been informed that this not a combat area, so you see the officer, you salute, but we didn't and we were shipped to China. [Laughs] Lost a good desk job. Something follow that but...

<End Segment 79> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.