<Begin Segment 16>

MA: Did you ever consider enlisting during World War II?

SO: Here?

MA: Yeah.

SO: Yes, I told you Spady Koyama? Yeah, he told me, "We're short on interpreters," and he says, "why don't you enlist?" So I went down, took an exam, I flunked it. They gave me a 4-F, couldn't make it.

MA: Was this a physical?

SO: (Yes).

MA: A physical exam?

SO: Physical, yeah. And then I went back ninety days later, they called me again. [Laughs] Flunked it again, and then they called me the third time and I flunked it again, then some major or some, I don't know what his rank was, but he shook his finger at me and said, "I don't want to ever see you in this hall again." Says, "You're done," and gave me a big 4-F and that was it, they wouldn't accept me. I couldn't pass my physical, 4-F.

MA: Is that what it means?

SO: Yeah, well, 4-F (classification means unfit for service).

MA: Why do you think you...

SO: Well, at that time I had ulcers, and the first time I was too small. You know, because the (standards were) quite high when they first started recruiting, and then they lowered the standards little by little. You had to be five feet, I think, first, was 5'5" or 4" or something like that, you had to weigh so much, and this and that. And I didn't have the height, I didn't have the weight, and then about that time I (had) ulcers and something else wrong besides ulcers. Anyway, I (didn't) pass it, so I told Spady, "I'm sorry," I said, "I tried, but (didn't) make it."

MA: How did you feel after sort of this rejection?

SO: Well, just had to take it, I guess. I mean, there wasn't much I could do with it, do about it. I just went about my way, kept on farming. They said, "You're more valuable to us right where you're at," so he says, "Forget the army," that's what the guy told me the last time I went there. I don't know, he had stripes, so he must have been a major or something, quite a ways up there. Yeah, he got mad and said, "You back again?" I said, "Well, they told me to come, so here I am." 'Cause if I didn't report, they'd come after me. So I had no choice, but I didn't pass.

MA: I see. But then since you were doing farming, they said you're more valuable as an agricultural...

SO: Yeah, agriculture, so they gave me an exemption on that, too. So Spady was kind of disappointed, but I tried, anyway. And I know I could, I could have done it, too... General MacArthur.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.