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TI: So when you are ready to be inducted and leave Minidoka, did you have any conversations with your mother or father about, about leaving and what that meant?

MT: Well, my mother certainly didn't want to see me go into the draft. And she took it quite hard because I was drafted, and to see me go off to camp, I mean, the army. My dad, I can't say that he said anything one way or another. But I think they were, both their attitudes were, "This is something he has to do," so it's really out of their hand.

TI: When you say your mother had a hard time with that, how did you know that it was hard for her?

MT: She had tears; she cried.

TI: And was she angry, tears of anger? What kind of emotion was --

MT: Not anger so much as tearful when you think, "He's going in the service," already there were fellows that volunteered early that were killed in action, wounded, all these came. So they're aware of what could happen to anyone that was drafted. So it was, there were a lot of tears on most parents' side because thinking what could happen to the one that was drafted.

TI: Okay, so let's talk about being inducted. So what was that like in terms of what was... after you, you passed your physical, and so what happened next?

MT: Well, I was the first group from Minidoka. I can't remember how many of us there, must have been fifteen, twenty of us that were drafted. We were the first group to be drafted, went for our physical, and I think we were sent down to Fort Douglas to have our physical. And then there was a period where they let us come back home, and then they had the final induction, and we went into Fort Douglas. And then from there we went on down to Mississippi. But... yeah, the one fellow I was saying that, "I don't want to go, but if I get drafted," no, he didn't want to be drafted, but he decided he'd take the physical and he didn't pass. So there was that and there were... I don't know of the group that I was, where there was anybody of that group that refused to go face the draft in any way. I think we all at least when in to have our physical and things like that.

TI: During this time, while this is going on, you mentioned earlier you were dating June at this time. Do you recall conversations you had with June during this time in terms of going off to war?

MT: Well, June was aware that I used to say that I'm not going to face the draft and things. But at that time, I don't think she ever said anything. I'm sure she wasn't happy to see me leaving camp to go into the army, but in no way she influenced me in any way.

TI: But do you recall just talking to her about it?

MT: Yeah.

TI: Your decision and going. And in terms of your relationship, how was that left when you went to, like, Shelby, I mean, to go to basic training?

MT: My relationship with June?

TI: With June, yeah.

MT: Oh. In my mind, that she was my girl, and when I came home I was gonna get married to her. I think June pretty much felt that way, too.

TI: And so while you were gone, did you write letters to each other?

MT: Oh, yeah.

TI: Back and forth, okay.

<End Segment 21> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.