<Begin Segment 21>

TI: Any other memories? Because you probably talked to lots of Japanese, I mean, what was the... what kind of information or what kind of feeling did you get from all the Japanese soldiers?

SO: Well, like Japanese officers, they are, most of them are cocky because they know we are private, we didn't have rank. So the first impression is, "If you think I'm a private and you're an officer, if you don't want to go to (back to) Japan, if you want to return to your home country, don't answer me anything. If you want to go home fast, give me a simple answer, and we will interrogate you fast." So that's how we took care of that. So it was a good experience (talking) to them.

TI: But how about the more common soldier, their privates? How were they?

SO: Oh, they were nice. And lot of them are, left Japan in a short notice. So when we asked them, "What's the name of your wife?" "I don't know." I said, "If you don't know, if you cannot answer that, we're not gonna send you back home." Then they grabbed the poles and start thinking, they said, "I don't remember."

TI: So they left on such short notice...

SO: That's right.

TI: But they, how could they not remember their wives' names?

SO: Because they haven't been corresponding, I guess.

TI: But they forgot their wife's name? [Laughs]

SO: [Laughs] I don't know how long they were in the Philippines, but they were really confused.

TI: It's hard to imagine that they would forget their wives' names.

SO: That's right, but still, they said, "Just can't remember." Because they never thought much about the family, being in, fighting in the jungle.

TI: Now, what were you looking for? When you questioned them, what kind of questions were you asking, or what information would prevent someone from going back to Japan? What were you looking for?

SO: Well, they all knew that they were going to be sent back, so mainly we just asked them, "Your name," and then, "your rank," and everything, and then, "your hometown address." It was simple. And still, they had some officers, they don't want to get asked by us, private.

TI: Interesting. So after you finished with the Calamba sugar plantation, then where did you go?

SO: Then after that, after finishing, then they went back to our headquarter in the Santa Ana racetrack. And then...

TI: I'm sorry, headquarters at where? This is at the...

SO: From the prisoner of war camp, went back to our Allied Translation headquarters in Santa Ana racetrack in Manila.

TI: Okay.

SO: And then from there, we had to prepare now to moving to Japan. So we had to pack whatever we can. And then now, we had to stand guard duty at the Manila harbor, to guard our belongings. And then we formed parties. The Filipinos, they have regular guns, bullets, whereas ours, we'd go on guard duty with a carbine and then no bullets to stand guard. And then after arriving in Japan, then now we had to go claim for our wooden boxes. All open, everything is all stolen, so we have our clothing straight out, so now we have to regret for all, whatever belongings we lost.

TI: So when you were shipping everything, someone went through and stole all the good stuff.

SO: That's right.

TI: And so what kind of things would they take?

SO: Oh, the clothing, that's what they needed. And for us, the first day we arrived at the racetrack, now the clothes need laundering. So all these Filipino ladies come with their daughter to pick up the laundry. The first day laundry, the boys were asked to turn over to be washed, they didn't get any back. [Laughs] But after that, the honest women came out to pick up the laundry. And then it was close by because Santa Ana racetrack is next to Pasig River, so they just go there and wash and then they dry it. And after they iron it, then they bring it back. And they used to charge dollar a pants, dollar a shirt. [Laughs] We had good service.

TI: That's good.

<End Segment 21> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.