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Title: Hiro Nishimura Interview
Narrator: Hiro Nishimura
Interviewer: Tom Ikeda
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: April 28, 2009
Densho ID: denshovh-nhiro-01-0016

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TI: And so what happened next?

HN: We're discriminated, we're segregated, so that's one thing, there's no whites with us.

TI: And so how long was this like this?

HN: How long? Until, until the news came out about the MIS, Military Intelligence Service Language School, MIS school.

TI: So describe that. How did the news come out? How did you find out about MIS?

HN: Mixed feelings.

TI: No, in terms of the news, how did you find out the news? Who told you or how did you find out?

HN: I don't know who told me, but when I got the news that there's going to be an MIS school for the Nisei linguists, well, then I had a little different perspective. I thought, "Well, now we could get out of this segregation, being a second-class soldier. Now we could get into the war." That was my initial reaction, "Oh, now we could get into the war, become a first-class, become a first-class soldier." I was happy, elated. Well, even though I didn't like Japanese, it was a chance for us to get into the war, because we were depressed.

TI: And so how did, so what was the next step? What happened next?

HN: Well, it gets very confusing and complicated. Then next step is, okay, the recruiters are going to come. They're going to come recruit for the language school. Then it took a little different test, said, "Oh, my goodness. I have to go to school for six months, eight hours a day?" Then the old memories of the Japanese school come back to me. "God, do I have to study for six months?" Then my, then went through agony again. I thought, "Oh, my goodness, I don't want to do that." But I was happy that the opportunity was there. So I said, "Okay, I'm not going to... I don't want to get interviewed." So that was that, they wouldn't come. So I stayed away from my barracks for the interview. I stayed away on purpose to avoid the interview, then I came back. I thought, well, maybe they're gone by now. Then they were just leaving. I thought I got caught. I got caught. They said, "Oh, we got one more." I thought, "My goodness." But I thought, "Well, shall I bluff?" But I didn't know how to bluff. So I said, "Well, okay," I told them, I said, "I don't want to go MIS school." "Why?" "Because I don't want to study, it's so hard. And besides, I want to go to the 442 school." We were supposed to, by the way, 442 was coming up in February. This was in December. 442. Anyway, there was 442, so I said -- anyway, okay, so I didn't go. But one month later they got me. I had to go to Camp Savage, Minnesota. I was not very happy about that. Well, I was happy that the army did recognize the linguistic ability of the Nisei, so I was very happy about that.

TI: And when the recruiters for the MIS school came, and you were just about ready, I mean, they were just about ready to leave and you came --

HN: [Laughs] Yeah, I was trying to get out of the recruit deal.

TI: So how did they know you spoke Japanese? What did they do, how did they interview you to know that you were...

HN: They gave me a book to read. And I was thinking, "Well, shall I bluff?" You know, pretend I can't read. But I didn't know how to do that, so I thought, "Well, I'll just play it straight," and told them I'm not interested. They asked me why.

TI: And so after you read, then...

HN: Yeah, I read it straight through.

TI: And they said they were interested in having you come to...

HN: Oh, definitely, definitely.

TI: And that's when you said you weren't interested.

HN: I said I'm not interested. Besides, they're going to form the 442 down in Camp Shelby, and we're supposed to go as a cadre. So I'm looking forward to going there in February.

TI: But then later on you got orders to report to Camp Savage.

HN: I didn't go the following week. Dozens of guys went, and I didn't go. I thought, "Oh, my goodness, thank goodness I don't have to go.

TI: To, first to Camp Savage. So one group, the first group left...

HN: First group left. And one month later, they got me. [Laughs] Just me.

TI: When you look at that first group that left, how good were their Japanese skills? Were they all pretty good?

HN: I can't remember everybody that went, but I'm assuming they were at least my caliber, if not... I'm just average, so I have to assume these guys were better than me. I have to look at that. Maybe there were a few that may be less fluent than me, but I figured an average. But that's a very important thing. That finally the opportunity was given to the Niseis for future recognition of our contribution to the country. I think that was very important.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.