<Begin Segment 80>

TI: Okay, so you went to China and maybe what would be interesting is, you knew from even before the war that the 5th Division, which was Hiroshima-based --

RM: Yes.

TI: -- was fighting in China.

RM: Yes.

TI: And here now, you were assigned to China. I guess the question I wanted to ask you is, did you ever come in contact to any kinsmen while you were in China, in terms of either interrogating --

AI: Oh, excuse me, before we get to that point I wanted to just establish when this was that you were in New Delhi. About when was that that you were then shipped from New Delhi to China?

RM: Well, right after I left Ledo, that's the 14th Evac was, I think it's October or something like that. Anyway, when we went to New Delhi -- did I mention about meeting General Merrill?

AI: Yes.

RM: I did?

TI: Well, maybe we'll, let's do this -- because I did forget something. I mean, while you were in China the war came to an end.

RM: Yes.

TI: And one of the dramatic things that happened at the end of World War II was the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima, which was where your family was living. So, I guess my question is, when, where were you when you heard about the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima and what did you think about this?

RM: At the time I was assigned to Detachment 202, OSS and stationed at place called Taiping in Kwangsi Province, that was in August, and when stationed there, radio announced that dropped atomic bomb. So happened that my folks, my parents were in Hiroshima and that's where dropped the bomb and I know they were living there so I thought they'd be wiped out and the radio said that after dropped the bomb, no tree or grass will grow for seventy-five years. Well, kinda exaggeration, later on I found out, but that was the radio announcement. Then, so we knew right away, that as far as I knew, my parents were there and so they were wiped out so they didn't suffer. Then later on found out that the epicenter was two blocks away from they're supposed to be living there, but later on I found out that they weren't there.

TI: Yeah, before we go there, though -- but, so, so, the United States dropped the bomb.

RM: Yeah.

TI: And so you thought your family was wiped out.

RM: Gone.

<End Segment 80> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.