Densho Digital Archive - Roy H. Matsumoto Interview (denshovh-mroy-01-0084)

<Begin Segment 84>

TI: Actually, go back to that. I didn't ask you, so when you went into the main part, I mean, what did you see and what were the people like when you first saw, because this was just months after --

RM: Yes.

TI: -- the atomic bomb.

RM: Well, people look at it because I'm in a uniform, you know, and a stranger, "What's the MP doin' here?" Well, of course, Japanese so, maybe didn't know, they didn't recognize me but I went to, I know the house because I was there before, same house staying there. So, but anyway, I met and surprised. But meantime, my other brother in the United States army, he was to go to China but when he get to, arrived at Shanghai, the war ended. So instead of staying in China they were told to go to general headquarters and talk to McArthur headquarter, be needed. So he went to occupation headquarters, then he, he know the way because he was a lieutenant, then he went down to Allied train and he went to Hiroshima then met, so, the people knew my other brother but didn't see me or just heard that I was in China. It was a surprise because they didn't know that I escorted prisoners, so it was kinda surprise to the family but they're glad, everybody is safe now, because other brother was in Japan and, of course, after coming back from Guadalcanal. That was a coincidence, too. But this one wasn't picked up as a war criminal so he was able to repatriate and he got the job in Tokyo doin' the same job he was doin' it.

TI: So Roy, let me go back, so, we're back at the village. This was the same village that you lived --

RM: Yeah, went to school.

TI: -- when you went to school, when you were --

RM: Elementary school there.

TI: So again, coming back to the village, you haven't been there for a long time.

RM: Uh-huh.

TI: What did it feel like? Because you said it wasn't damaged that much.

RM: No.

TI: So what were you, what did it feel like?

RM: Well, except next door, the plane that bombed Hiroshima, escaping, probably, well, chased by Zero, whatever, on the way back, they dropped a bomb accidentally and hit the next-door warehouse and five people got killed, just next door. So that, by precaution, the stairway to upstairs was kinda crooked because on account of bomb exploding there. But my family, mother told me it was scary but nothing happened.