<Begin Segment 35>

TI: Oh, but I wanted to follow up, too, you mentioned that, you said there was more to you becoming an officer that you wanted to tell me about?

GH: Oh. Well, after the surrender, General McClure said, "Grant, we're going to Manchuria." I said, "General," I said, "all I have is my khaki uniform." I said, "I'm not ready for Manchuria." He said, "Take my plane and get your belongings and report back." So I said, "Yes, sir," so I flew back to Chunking. Colonel, Major Snyder said, "Grant, you're the third man on the list for rotation," so I said, "Major," I said, "I have the general's plane waiting for me." And Major said, "I didn't hear you. I'm telling you you're the third man on the list for rotation."

TI: Which means that, your rotation is to go back to the...

GH: Yeah, I had enough points to go back, yeah.

TI: And so that, okay.

GH: So when he said, "I didn't hear you," I said, "Well, how soon can I leave?" He said, "Well, there's a plane leaving for Calcutta at six o'clock." I said, "Thank you," and I went and got all my things. In the meantime, he wrote up an order to... and when I read it, it said, "Tech Sergeant Hirabayashi." I said, "Wait a minute," but I didn't care. I was on my way home.

TI: But technically you did become a lieutenant, or not? What...

GH: I was sworn in, but I didn't care. I was on my way home. [Laughs]

TI: So you, you stood up a general. [Laughs]

GH: So, so I was a lieutenant for three days. [Laughs]

TI: Oh, that's interesting. But then, did you ever hear what happened, what the general thought or anything?

GH: No. When I was in Japan during the occupation, I heard he was in Hokkaido. I said I didn't want to see him. [Laughs]

TI: [Laughs] Oh, yeah, he probably would have been a little upset when he heard about that. So you went, so you were sent back to the United States, and how was it returning to the United States after all this? Because...

GH: Oh, it was, it was quite a thrill. As a matter of fact, I departed from San Francisco and went to India, but on the way back I left from Calcutta by ship and came back to New York via the Suez Canal.

TI: So you literally went all the way around the world?

GH: Yeah. I made a trip around the world at government expense, but I wish they'd, (told me) that I had a round-trip ticket, it would have helped. [Laughs]

TI: Now, up to this point, had you ever been to New York City?

GH: Oh, (no).

TI: You had, okay.

GH: But as we, the ship pulled in, it was the Liberty ship that pulled in, the band struck up and "Sentimental Journey." It was the "Sentimental Journey," but and then I went to...

TI: Well, can you recall your feelings when, when you were coming into the...

GH: Oh, when we saw the Statue of Liberty, I mean, we all rushed to one side of the ship and they had to, the ship started tilting, so they had to move us back. But it was quite a thrill, yeah. It was quite a thrill. And it was great to be greeted by the local people. By train, we went to Camp McCoy where I was discharged. And it was the day before my birthday, November the 8th, yeah. So I did celebrate my birthday at home in Minneapolis.

TI: As, as a civilian?

GH: Yes.

TI: In, I'm sorry, Minneapolis, you said?

GH: Yes.

TI: Now, that's where your parents were.

GH: Yes.

TI: Now, why didn't your parents go back to Kent, back to, or did they eventually go back?

GH: I never did ask, but I think they were comfortably situated in Minneapolis, yeah.

TI: So they ended up staying there and then they just lived the rest of their lives in Minneapolis?

GH: Yeah, uh-huh.

<End Segment 35> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.