Densho Digital Archive - George Yamada Interview (denshovh-ygeorge

<Begin Segment 19>

MA: So it's 1944 now, and you had just been drafted into the military. And where did you go from Spokane?

GY: To Fort Douglas, Utah. Matter of fact, Tom Haji, Keiji Horiuchi and I were bowling at the bowling alley that one... one day, Sunday? Well, anyway, we were bowling there, and over the loudspeaker came, "Private George Yamada, please report to the booth." Private? I didn't catch on real quick. But I went to the booth and my mother told me that, in Nihongo, that I had a telegram from Fort Douglas, Utah, that I was immediately to report to Fort Douglas right away. And the telegram said, "We'll reimburse you upon arrival." So I paid seventeen or twelve dollars or whatever it was to get to Fort Douglas. And I went to the bus station, got a bus, and the next day I was in Fort Douglas, Utah. Well, actually, that morning, around five in the morning -- no, I got there pitch black and I reported in, not knowing nothing, anything about military life. I slept on a hard bench there, and then the next thing was a bugle reveille coming over the loudspeaker. And I mean that was loud, that bugle, and I jumped up, woke up, and I think I went outside for a smoke. And a major passed me -- [laughs] -- this officer passed me, I didn't know him from Adam. And he looked at me and yelled out, "Attention," and, "Soldier, do you know what these are?" They were gold leaf, major. And I said, "No, sir." Or no, I didn't know whether to say "sir" or not. Maybe I did, I don't recall. But, "You're supposed to be at attention when you address an officer." And I says, "Yes, yes, sir." I think I said, "Yes, sir." Didn't have to be that smart to say. So it occurred to me to say "sir," "Yes, sir," "No, sir," and all that, but I never was chewed out more. I mean, I was really downgraded, castigated and everything else by this major. And that was my first encounter in the military, right off the bat in the morning.

Fort Douglas, I boarded a train. They didn't pay me right away, I had to wait a month for my -- they tripled, they tripled, since I paid my own way, they tripled. I got back thirty-seven dollars. But if you go back, triple, it must have been thirteen, fourteen, well, whatever it was. But anyway, I got on the train and went to Camp Savage, Minnesota, and then I was there for, Camp Savage for a week, and then they transferred us over to Fort Snelling, and that was our permanent station after that.

MA: So when, when were you at Fort McClelland doing basic training? Was that before?

GY: Well, that was after this. I was a raw recruit, didn't know anything about military, I got my uniform at Fort Douglas, I got my class A and summer khaki wear, I'm not sure if I got my canteen. I must have gotten my canteen, I had a duffel bag full of stuff. And got to Fort Snelling, was assigned at Fort Snelling, and got on a troop train shortly thereafter. Troop train, and there was 175 Niseis on that, and one Chinese. I don't know how that Chinese guy fit in there, but he happened to be with us. And one funny story from that encounter, that one Chinese guy, we were going through Knoxville, Tennessee, and we were on some kind of river. Across the river was this old brick building, about four stories high, and off of each level, a bunch of women were coming, looking out, and they happened to -- it was a laundry, I believe, it was an old laundry. And these women, this, several women, "What nationality are you?" And this one Chinese guy, "I'm Chinese." Among all 175 Niseis, one guy spoke up and it was the Chinese guy: "I'm Chinese." And they said, "Good luck," you know, "Give 'em hell," or whatever it was, for us to do well in our military career. But nobody spoke up, no Japanese, but that one Chinese guy says, "I'm Chinese."

MA: That's interesting.

GY: Huh?

MA: That's interesting.

GY: Yeah, it, no one spoke up. Well, we spoke up afterwards. We probably kidded the Chinese guy for saying, "I'm Chinese." But at that one moment, "What nationality?" "I'm Chinese," and well, we just let it go. We didn't mind, didn't say anything.