Densho Digital Archive - Terry Aratani - Fred Matsumura - Kenneth Okuma - Henry Bruno Yamada Interview (denshovh-aterry

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ME: Well, let's talk about I Company. What was it about I Company that is so special and so unique?

FM: I Company. Well, I think it's the best company in the -- in the regiment.

ME. I think we all do. But tell us why.

FM: Why? Because we really close. Even after the war we always meet together, have parties like this, and associate with each other often.

TA: I, I personally, I think like talking to the people, boys from the other companies. They try to achieve the same thing that we do, but I think the, what makes the difference is that with I Company -- And I think (Company) I and the Engineers, more the, maybe George Company, they active. But I Company's outstanding from the standpoint that we have a good support from all the members, especially Honolulu. When we have a meeting, for instance, we call a meeting, we get at least about twenty-five, thirty people shows up, and which is real good compared -- because I understand some of the companies, they have only about four or five guys show up. But I think, primarily that we keep in close touch with each other. We try to get, especially with Jim Yamashita in LA, he's setting up all the, keeping all the (Company I directory). So we, we in close contact with -- not only in Honolulu, neighbor island, but on the mainland because I, myself, call people on the mainland quite often to find out what things and going on. But I think just a matter of everybody supporting each other that makes us, even right now, we talking about, "What are we going to do next year? Where we wanna get together?" And we've been talking about it, some of us been talking about it, and hopefully tonight, we can get answer where we going next year. So it's just a matter of everybody supporting each other and keeping in touch with each other.

HY: Yeah. I think I Company is a real model company. Lotta other companies try to do what we're doing because everything always turns out good, (especially) reunions. And I think all this comes from the days of our battle. I think I Company was (a) close, close-knitted company. And they made good name for themselves, and we had good leaders like Shiro Kashino. And I think we (were) a real model company, when it comes to the 442.

KO: The fact that tonight we going to have a number of 270 people at our banquet, and that's the largest of all the 442nd units. And this has been repeated before, that "Lost Battalion," that I Company, I think, lost the most, either through casualties or deaths. And one, one of the first units to contact the, to free the, the Texans from the, from the enclosure.

ME: So you referred to, tonight, you have the banquet, the dinner here at the reunion, with the I Company and the friends and family?

KO: Two hundred seventy, which is tremendous.

ME. That's -- yeah amazing.

KO: And as I tell the other companies the number we have, they cannot come close to that, as far as the turnout goes.