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TI: As the unit lost their officers, they had to be replaced and people received battlefield commissions. You were one of the ones who received a battlefield commission. Why were you chosen to be an officer?

DI: Well, I've asked myself that question: why was I selected? I was nineteen when I was leading my platoon, and I was told later that on my twentieth birthday my company commander, without my knowledge, had submitted my name for commission. And it took about a month and half to process that and so in November I got my commission. Frankly, I wasn't too happy about that because I wanted to remain an enlisted man to have the life with all the men and gamble and do things like that.

TI: But what were some of the reasons you think you were chosen? I know you thought about this.

DI: Well, I know that I was considered a good patrol leader. In fact, I remember in Italy in the early days of the war, the Second Battalion had to replace the Third Battalion -- that's Kash's battalion -- and the replacement had to be done during the day, which is a tricky maneuver in broad daylight to move a battalion of troops to replace another battalion elsewhere because the casualties are high. And I don't know why, but they called upon E Company to send a special patrol and my company commander just said, "You go." And I said, "What's my mission?" And he says, "Find a trail from here to there." And so you had to be out of the sight of the enemy. Well, what had happened along walking on this trail along the mountainside away out of the sight of the enemy, I came across stacks of 442nd Third Battalion men. They were just lined up dead. This was the job of the grave registration officer, ready to be picked up and taken away. And so I looked at them and I (said to myself), "Oh, this is horrible thing to have a whole battalion pass by and see these dozens of men lined up dead." All shapes and maybe some with no heads and all of that business. So I told my squad let's back up and then we went down into the valley, and we went up again to join the trail. So I got back to the battalion and I told the battalion commander, "I'm ready." He says, "Okay. Lead the way." And so I started leading the whole battalion (to the bend in the trail a short distance from the 442 dead) and then at this point I went down (into the valley). The word came down from the colonel, "Hold it." And he called me back and he says, "What in the hell is happening here? Why don't you just continue?" I said, "Colonel, if you go further around the bend, there are several dozen dead, all lined up in all conditions, and I don't think you want your men to pass by that and throw up and faint." And at that point I became his favorite patrol leader. I think I asked for it so after that he thought I was great, and every time he had some special patrol he would say, "Inouye, you go." I became pretty good at it.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.