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TI: Now, when you, when you were moved to this position, you mentioned how it was just like a, a week before you were shipped out. So I'm thinking that this unit trained at Camp Shelby for months and months, then here they bring you in almost at the last minute before you go to Europe. Why did they do that? Why did they bring you in at the last moment? It seemed like, you know, a sports metaphor is like bringing in a new quarterback at a critical time. So what happened?

VW: Well, I trained in the infantry for about eight months, and I was a BAR man and so on. We went through maneuvers, and our little regiment beat the 69th Division in maneuvers. And they had inspectors around watching, and we beat the 69th Division if you can imagine that.

TI: So a much larger unit.

VW: Oh, much, yeah. They had like three or four regiments against one. We were just one regiment. And so, and then when I was transferred into the artillery, they wanted, they found out that, I suppose the colonel studied my record and so on, that I was a pilot and an instrument, commercial instrument pilot, and trained cadets and so on. So he selected me to go into the Fire Direction Center, I'm sure. And so that's the way it happened. Now, then, I had to be trained, 'cause I didn't know anything about, about what the operator did. And so Shoso Kagawa, who was over at Battery C, that was the, usually the best battery, and supposed to be the one that would kind of set up the smoke shell and all that stuff. And he's the one that trained me to be a computer operator.

TI: So I'm curious, what kind of training did this gentleman have? Was he like a college graduate or...

VW: I don't remember if he had graduated already, but he was, he became an architect later on in New York City, but, and then later on into L.A., and then later on into Hawaii. But he was a, he was a very calm and intelligent fellow, and I was fortunate having him train me.

<End Segment 27> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.