<Begin Segment 23>

TI: Okay, so Hiro, so I'm now going to go back where you said you were offered a commission, but you said no, and now you come back to the United States. So let's pick up the story there.

HN: Oh, yeah. After I went back to school, being a civilian -- army sent me a letter of recommendation. "You have been recommended." [Laughs] I got a letter of recommendation from the regular army. I have a recommended for the regular army. No thank you. No thank you, they wanted me to get into the regular army. Somebody recommended me.

TI: I'm not really clear. So you --

HN: I got a letter from the regular army.

TI: To recommend you.

HN: I was recommended by somebody.

TI: To do, to do what?

HN: To enlist. To join the regular army.

TI: After all the things that you had just done, to enlist as --

HN: I had no, I guess I was a good soldier. I have to, you know, think this. They offered me a letter of recommendation for the regular army. Somebody recommended me, so I tried to be a good soldier.

TI: Is this to, you mean, recommend you for an award?

HN: To join the regular army.

TI: To join as an officer?

HN: Yeah.

TI: Okay.

HN: To join the... the army we were in was the wartime army. That's not regular army.

TI: I get it, okay.

HN: To join the regular army, well, you have to volunteer, I guess. But to be recommended for regular army, I guess that was somewhat humorous because thanks but no thanks. Throw the letter in... I was happy to be a civilian. That's good because the wartime experience gave me a good appreciation of the military. I'm grateful to the military for that matter. It was very positive. I proved I was a man and not a boy. Because they boys ended up in [inaudible], most of the boys. I guess I was okay. So I'm proud of that. The army was a very positive thing for me.

TI: So now that your army career is over, what did you do next?

HN: Well, I went back to school. But now I have a deep appreciation for the military. Grateful to the government for giving us the GI Bill to go back to school. I'm grateful to that; I'm very grateful. I don't regret my military service, in fact, I'm grateful. I think all the Niseis are grateful, too.

TI: Okay, good.

HN: But mind you, now, if I have to say this, it was because of the MIS that served in the South Pacific first, Military Intelligence, Niseis serving in the Pacific, Bougainville, Guadalcanal. In the meantime, Nisei in the camp were volunteering, they were clamoring to volunteer for the military. War Department said, "No, no."

<End Segment 23> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.