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TI: So from Myitkyina, then at that point, eventually were you then sent back to India?

GH: Yes, I went back to India, and I was assigned to the Royal Air Force as a translator. And I served with them until one day we're in New Delhi when a British general approached us and he says, he said, "Soldier, what do you do when you see an officer?" So we hastily saluted, but it was too late. He took our names and he submitted our names to Colonel Swat, a commandant. And we were called in, and the colonel was very sympathetic. He says, "I know. In the front line, you don't salute because you identify the officer." But he said, "Now you're in the rear echelon, so you have to salute." And then Roy Matsumoto -- not Roy, Roy Nakata, he was bitching, he said, "That goddamned limey." [Laughs] And he was, so Colonel said to Roy, he said, "What do you want?" Roy said, "I want to get the hell out of here." [Laughs] He says, "Your wish is granted." And that meant we were leaving for, he was leaving for Kunming, China. And we said, "Well, if he's going, we all will go."

TI: So all fourteen of you?

GH: No, no. There was about five of us.

TI: And so after, I guess, Myitkyina, did pretty much the Marauders sort of broke up at that point?

GH: In a way, yes. Well, let's see. I was with the Royal Air Force, Roy Matsumoto and I were with the Royal Air Force. Others were with SEATIC, Southeast Asia Translation (and Interrogation) Center or something. But we all decided to go with Roy to Kunming.

TI: Now, I'm curious, after, after Burma, did, were the men, the fourteen Niseis who went through this, were they, were any of them promoted, or what was the situation?

GH: Yes. Seven were commissioned.

TI: As officers?

GH: Yes.

TI: Now, how about you, were you...

GH: No.

TI: Now, how did they decide who was commissioned and who wasn't?

GH: I don't know.

TI: And the ones who were commissioned, did any of them go to China also, or did they do something else? Like, who went to China?

GH: One went to China, yes. Like Eddie Mitsukado, he was reassigned to OSS, and like Roy, went with us to Chunking, but then he was assigned to OSS. I think there were about five of us that stayed in Chunking.

<End Segment 30> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.