<Begin Segment 22>

AI: Did, now how did you, or did hear when he was wounded? How did you find out?

LK: Because he would send me a letter from the Red Cross saying that well, "One of the Jerrys, one of the bullets got me so I'm taking a little rest, but I'll be back in the front in no time." It was, that was his idea. He never stayed in a hospital very long. In fact, he would go AWOL from the hospital sometimes because he couldn't, didn't wanna be sittin' back in the rear.

AI: Oh, my. Well, that must have been hard for you in getting this, the Red Cross letter and hearing...

LK: Yeah. Between his brothers and sisters, you know... I mean, they would get the notices first when he got wounded, so I might hear from them that he was in the hospital and then along would come a letter. But he really didn't tell me a lot of detail, because I think either he didn't want to worry me or what. But, yeah, he had a lot of adventures. [Laughs]

AI: So he didn't want to worry you and he didn't tell you very much in his letters, but you must have heard anyway about...

LK: Yes, I would hear from other people.

AI: Oh, how was that? Was that really difficult?

LK: Well, especially when he went, was put in the stockades -- [laughs] -- it was kind of shocking.

AI: How did you find out about that?

LK: Well, what, he would send all his friends who were wounded early and going home early, he would all, give them, liberally give them my address -- "Be sure to go see my girlfriend," you know. So I had many visitors and met many of his friends who were on their way back to Hawaii. And especially the Hawaiians were the ones that he would refer because they wouldn't have family in the States. And so it was through them that I would hear some of his adventures. And let's see. This one fellow said, "Oh yeah, I just saw Kash, he was in the stockades." You know, like I'm supposed to know about it. So that was the first time I heard about that.

AI: Oh. And what did he tell you at that time? What did you find out?

LK: He didn't tell me anything.

AI: Nothing?

LK: He wouldn't tell me about it, no. Well, he did say, "Oh, got in a little trouble, so I had to work it out," or something like that. There was a time when he said, "I guess I learned my lesson not to take the blame for other people, 'cause I'm suffering the consequences," or something like that. But it was all very vague so that I wouldn't really know the facts.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.