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TI: So this must, this must have been your heaviest fighting that you were involved in?

GH: It was very heavy, yeah, very heavy fighting.

TI: But you, but the Marauders prevailed and you guys held the airfield. And then there was a, a town nearby?

GH: Yes, Myitkyina, uh-huh.

TI: And so when you prevailed, at that point, you had quite a few prisoners of war at that point?

GH: Yes, uh-huh.

TI: And so that's when you started doing more interrogation?

GH: Right.

TI: So talk about that. What did you find when you started interrogating?

GH: Well, I was able to interrogate a second lieutenant. He was brought in by a stretcher, and he was captured by the Gurkhas, these are Indian soldiers. And it was late at night or evening, and I saw the prisoner, he was stabbed three times in the hip, arm, and his leg. And I knew he had to, he needed medical attention, so I asked the guards to take him to have, provide medical attention, but to have him brought in early in the morning so I could interrogate him. So early that morning, he was brought in. So I inquired, "How was your, how was your treatment?" He looked at me, he says, "You're a traitor." I said, "Traitor?" I said, "I'm an American soldier." And says maybe if we were to cut our vein," I said, "The same blood may flow, but I'm an American fighting for my country, and you're fighting for your country. Don't you dare call me a traitor." [Laughs] But he refused to respond.

TI: Well, how did that make you feel when he called you a traitor? Was it...

GH: It struck me hard, yes, to be called a traitor, because I'm an American.

TI: But were you angry at him?

GH: I was angry, yes. And I was disturbed to the point, I said, I told the guard to take him and put him in the middle of the stockade among the enlisted men. Of course, there was no stockade for the officers, because he was the only officer. So the guard put him, placed him in the center of the stockade, and then I went in and I walked by, he pulled my trouser, he says, "Mr. Interpreter," he says, "I want to be shot." No, "I want to die." I said, "How do you want to die?" he said, "I want to be shot." And I'm so mad, I says, "I don't (have) any bullet to waste on you." [Laughs] But said, "We do have a sword, you could demonstrate how to commit hara kiri," and I left. And the second time around I went, he pulled my trouser again and he said, "Mr. Interpreter," and he said, "I have a second thought." He said, "Please get me out of here," and, which I did. And he was very cooperative. And as a matter of fact, the following morning, when I met Captain Chan, he said they liked the report.

TI: Oh, so you were able to question him and get valuable information that was, that was useful. Because, again, he was an officer, so he had a lot more information than the others. But, but you had to... now, did you do all this intentionally? I mean, he, at first he called you a traitor, so he made you angry, and you reacted by putting him in stockade. But eventually it worked, because he, by that treatment, he came around and decided to, to talk. So was that all planned in your mind, or did it just happen?

GH: No, I think it's, it's just something that took place, yeah.

<End Segment 28> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.