<Begin Segment 31>

LK: Well, by sheer chance of, I don't know, God's looking down at us, I guess, and had to help us. And one of my husband's Company I members that's a banker in Honolulu and he was at a banker's convention, and it was a national convention, apparently. And there was a Puerto Rican banker who was there and he was talking to him and he says, "Yeah, we're looking for this Puerto Rican officer who served in World War II and by the name of George Suro." And so he says, "Oh, I know George Suro." He says, "He's an attorney and he's got his office down the street from me." And with that, this friend -- that's the banker -- said that he was going to be in Puerto Rico in a couple of months so he would like to set up an appointment with him. "So would you help me get an appointment?" So this Puerto Rican said yeah, he would do that as soon as he went home.

AI: What an amazing coincidence.

LK: Yes it is. So they talked on telephone as far as pinning down the date to meet and so forth and he explained the situation and he said that he didn't realize what went on, that he had asked that they not be charged and didn't think it was a serious incident. And so it was true what had -- Chaplain Yamada had told Mr. Kubota -- and they did, they felt that they, you know, got to get this guy's affidavit. So he was in, going to go through hip surgery or some major surgery and so he said he wasn't going to be at, back to his office for a while, but he would write the affidavit after he got over his problem. So it took him several months to get back to his office and by the time he wrote his affidavit, it didn't reach Kubota until mid, well, the first part of June. I mean, they were all, everybody's waiting for it.

AI: Yes.

LK: But you couldn't hurry him and we, we didn't want to put any pressure on him either, you know, because he's our key witness and we don't want to lose him. So anyhow, they received the affidavit from Puerto Rico on June 10th and my husband died on June 11th. And they called me on June 11th to tell me that they had received the affidavit, so now we got everything and to send, and they needed my husband's signature on some of the documents. And so I had to break the news that my husband had passed away that day. So...

AI: That must have been so difficult.

LK: It was. It was kind of a long struggle.

AI: He was so ill then, toward the end also. And yet he knew that the MP, the officer had been found.

LK: Yes, because he had made a draft of his affidavit and he was trying to perfect it and so forth, so this was all took time. But we did read the affidavit that where he said that he asked that they not be charged and he didn't, he was just really shocked to hear about it fifty years later that they had actually been court-martialed, so he would be very happy to write this affidavit.

AI: So at least your husband knew that was coming.

LK: Uh-huh. Before he died, he did, knew that it was coming. And he had, he was hopeful that they would do something about it, but... so after he passed away, they had his documents that we had to sign, so I signed for him and I had my doctor, his doctor also write an affidavit that he had passed away but he knew about it before and he was fully conscious before and knew what was going on. So we submitted this document again with all this evidence and then they came back again saying that, in September, saying that as much as they read all the evidence and all, then they saw the injustice of it all, there is nothing that is ever done about a court-martial. They never exonerate a person after they've been court-martialed. So then that's when I wrote kind of a personal letter saying that after all that went through, we sort of outlined all the reasons why they should really give it more thought. And the letter that they came back with was kind of a form letter, and it was so impersonal saying that they couldn't overturn the court-martial.

AI: How did they, how did that make you feel when you got this kind of form letter.

LK: Yeah, I thought, "Gee..." But then, I mean, like when they said they're gonna give him $28 a month, you know -- it's kind of joke. So we figured oh, well. And you just, how do you fight the army? So Kubota was... and all of them, they said well, "Let's give it one more try. I'm gonna have you write this letter." They helped me formulate the letter and so we sent it and apparently the head JAG officer must have read it, taken it to heart. And so this is, and really was unbelievable that he would have written like that.

AI: Well, would you share some of this letter and, just actually maybe if you could read the letter that you, that you received back, that the final response.

LK: "This responds to your letter of October 7th in which you request reconsideration of my action on your husband's application for relief under Article 69b, Uniform Code of Military Justice. I have carefully considered this matter and the points you raise in your letter. Based on the entire file and the information provided in all documents submitted with the appeal, I have determined that there is good cause in the interest of justice to consider this appeal. Even though it was not filed within the statute of limitations, Mr. Kashino's appeal is granted and his court-martial conviction is set aside. You have my sincere sympathy for your husband's death." [Cries] "Your husband was deeply concerned over this event and in his life and your, your letter eloquently details his extraordinary efforts to erase the court-martial conviction from his record. I am particularly impressed by your husband's gallantry and the six Purple Hearts he earned during World War II. I wish you the very best in the future." Then in his handwriting he wrote, "Your husband was an American hero and that is how he should be remembered." So I thought that was very personal.

AI: Yes.

LK: And so they attached a copy of the, the order, the action of the Advocate General to take that off his record.

AI: Yes. So you finally succeeded.

LK: Yes. And how I wish that my husband was here at the time I received this letter.

AI: Yes.

LK: It was in December. So that was the hardest thing for me.

AI: It must have been very, very difficult. Well, thank you for telling about this. I know it's difficult for you to go over it again and, but it's just such a tremendous piece of history that your, the whole story of your family, your husband's story and then you carrying on after his passing.

LK: Well I, it was a separate story, an unusual story, you know, so I felt like I should share it.

AI: And how have your daughters taken the, the news when, when this came to pass that the conviction was set aside?

LK: We all had the same emotions. So happy for their father.

AI: Yes, yes. Well, it certainly is unusual. It seems like this is just unheard of that the army would overturn...

LK: But isn't it wonderful that we live in a country where, that if they made a mistake they have admitted it and, and righted a wrong.

AI: Yes.

LK: So I think that we're lucky that we live in this country.

AI: Well, after all that you've gone through, you and your family and all the times that have passed. Is there anything else that you would like to comment on? Anything else that you would like to pass on as you think of the younger generations coming up now?

LK: I don't know. My husband believed in his convictions and, and he told it like it is and that's the way he brought up our kids, I think. Good and bad. He wasn't a "yes man."

AI: Well, thank you very much. We really appreciate your time and your sharing of your experiences.

<End Segment 31> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.