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TI: During training, were ever there any stories of some of the pilots deciding not to go forward or maybe taking another job or another role?
JM: If they did there was a special jail for those people. They were treated real bad. And the jail is just got a few window, it's dark outside, you can't go outside every time whenever you want to. It was a special thing, the, those coward people. There was a few people in there like that.
TI: And so there were some pilots who decided not to...
JM: Not to, yeah. But after the war they were happy 'cause they got free. Soon as the war was over, I mean, that's it, no more military or nothing.
TI: But I'm guessing they were, amongst the other pilots they were looked down upon?
JM: Yeah. Oh yeah, they, that time, yeah.
SF: When you were training for this, did, did you ever think about, well, maybe these Americans might be some kids from your school on that, might be on the destroyer or the battleship or the carrier?
JM: I never did think about that, but the only thing I was thinkin' is when the Americans come and then, where we stayed we had a big American POW camp and even that time, too, you could see 'em, if they die they bring 'em to the cremation place, but I was thinkin', gee, it's a wonder that the Americans, I wonder if they're gonna kill those people, too? Of course, they do when the bomb drops, but I just couldn't understand that part, their being American and they know the POW because it says POW on it, but they'll drop the bomb and --
TI: Oh, so the American bombers would still, when they dropped bombs would hit the POW camp also?
JM: Yeah, drop, yeah, they get killed, too. That's why in Nagasaki, too, I guess nobody came out alive, the POWs.
TI: Oh, so there's a POW camp there also?
JM: Yeah, there was a POW camp there also, too.
TI: Wow, so that, so Steve, do you have any other questions about the training or about kamikazes, kamikazes?
SF: I think I'm good.
TI: Okay.
<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.