<Begin Segment 20>

TI: Okay, so we were talking about, you're in the army, and I think you're at the Philippines. You talked about that base where it'd take you an hour to walk to, to the meals and an hour back. But you were talking a little bit about, maybe you said the ignorance, or people didn't know that you were American soldiers, they confused you with the Japanese. And were these the Filipinos or the (Seabees) that confused you? Who was it?

SO: Oh, both the Caucasians and then the Filipinos. Then when we first got there, there was a siren going on, and that had a cloudburst (and wind). And for us Hawaii boys, the ninety boys, we didn't know what was going on. But first thing that came to our mind was, "We need a freshwater shower." So we ran out, removed all our clothes, and then washed clean, freshwater shower after being two weeks on the boat. And then later on we found out that this was a emergency, there was a typhoon. [Laughs] For us, it was a big treat, you know, with a nice clean shower.

TI: So people thought you were crazy. You're running out there in a typhoon taking a shower.

SO: So then after that, with the war over, now the navy sent us back to Manila harbor. So we got there about seven in the morning, and then, now, those days, they were still using signal lights. They were signaling back and forth. And then midnight, that night, they said, "Oh, we found your camp." So said, "Get ready and then pack up." And then after we packed up, then right now they told us, "There's a barge waiting underneath, so dump your bag out on there." Said, "Dump our bag?" How come early in the day, the white sailors didn't have to dump? All their baggage was put in a net and lowered in the barge. But here, us, we have to dump it down. So, oh, what the boys had to do was, "Hey, let's wrap all the bottles in a towel and then, and then we can dump it." Then we got off the ship, they put on the barges, then went to a smaller dock in Manila (city). And it was four o'clock in the morning, and then we got off the barge, we were waiting on the dock, and then finally a truck came and picked us up, and then we went to a placement army depot. And then after we got there, then there was a cloudburst, and then they told us, "Okay, dump your bags out and then get in the tent." After we got in the tent, then they said, "Oh, this army (replacement) depot, so now put your bags over there, and then you're assigned to KP duty." So we had to do KP duty, and then we were hungry, not eating all day. So we drank coffee, then before we knew it, then they said, "Oh, pack up. They found your headquarters." That was the ATIS headquarters. ATIS is Allied Translators and Interrogation (Section) headquarters.

So we got on a truck and then they took us to the ATIS headquarter. And finally, they found our destination, and then they told us that's our tent over there. So we had to sleep in the tent. Then they assigned us to the tent with an army cot with all the dirt floor in Santa Ana racetrack. So after we got there, then now every day, said, you're gonna have Japanese prisoners of war to converse with us, to practice more Japanese speaking. And they're staying over there for a week. Then one early morning, we heard a new group coming in, then we found out they were boys from Hawaii that just came in, and they were inducted a month after us. And these guys, they flew over, so took only one night to come over. Whereas it took us over two weeks to get to that camp over there (with the Navy assignment).

Then after another week, then they sent us to Calamba sugar plantation, prisoner of war camp, where they had about 40,000 war prisoners. And every day, we have to interrogate them, so we can send them back to Japan. And for me, I didn't smoke, so what I used to do was every day I'd open a new pack. And then before the interview, I used to give to the prisoner smoke one cigarette so they can relax and then, you know, don't feel like a prisoner. And then one day, one guy came tapping my back. And then when I looked at him, he said, "Can you mail this letter for me?" I said, "Oh, let me see it." And when I look at that, it says, "Minoru Inaba." I said, "Wait. Minoru Inaba is not too far from where I live. It's only about maybe two hundred yards away."

TI: So this is a Japanese soldier that tapped you on the back?

SO: Then later on I found out that his back was written "CI." CI means Civilian Internee, so he had a business in Manila, so he got interned. POW means Prisoner of War. These were CIs, so Civilian Internee.

TI: But he was interned because, a civilian internee because he was a Japanese national?

SO: That's right.

TI: So he was... okay.

SO: Yeah. So he was interned together with prisoner of war.

TI: And so he had a letter to send back to Hawaii.

SO: Yes, to the nephew. Then, the owner of Kona Hotel up on the hill, and this is where the sister was. So he said, "Can you tell my sister that I'm well, and I'll be returning to Japan in a month." So he was really fortunate that he got the right person to talk to.

TI: Because otherwise it would have been hard to get that letter to the right people, but you knew them.

SO: That's right. So that was one of my experience.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.