<Begin Segment 22>

TI: So did, did anyone ever ask you about your Japanese military service? Did that ever come up?

JM: No. It never came out until I got a draft from President Truman.

TI: Okay, well, we'll get there. I just wanted to, so, so during this time, they, they never knew about...

JM: They never knew. I have never mentioned it to nobody.

TI: So they just, I guess, maybe assumed you were just with the family, with your sisters and your brother and...

JM: There was one GI, I wore this pilot jacket to this camp and he looked at me and said, "Hey, Jimmie." I said, "What happened?" "Hey, isn't that a pilot jacket?" And I said, "Yeah." And I kept wearing that for maybe two, three weeks.

TI: This was your old pilot jacket?

JM: Yeah, yeah. And then one day there was an officer, three officers and myself, we went in this Japanese restaurant and we're eating there, and then the military police seen the jeep outside, so they come and checked inside and they found out that it was the officers', we were eating with the officers, so I guess the officer told them that we're doing this, this and this. And as they were stepping, stepping out, this MP comes back in and calls this Japanese lady, "Come on over here," and says, "That," and pointed at the jacket, and he took it and took off with that.

TI: Oh, so he took your jacket?

JM: Yeah, jacket.

TI: As, like a souvenir?

JM: Yeah. So I told the lady, I said, "Why didn't you tell us we were in the..." She was afraid that if she told she would...

TI: So you lost your jacket?

JM: Yeah, I lost the jacket right there.

TI: But I'm curious, why did you wear your, your navy jacket?

JM: Something, it was kind of warm and everything, too, and comfortable, and I didn't think people would think about that.

TI: But you didn't think about that's a little bit kind of in your face, wearing a Japanese officer's jacket?

JM: No, no, I didn't even think, 'cause all the buttons were off and everything, anyway.

SF: So did, during that period, did you consciously think, "Oh, I should not, I should hide my past Japanese military experience"?

JM: No. No, I just thought I'd just keep my mouth shut, keep my mouth shut. Unless, if I was asked, I have, I was never asked about that.

TI: Now, was there, would there be any way for the Americans to know that you served in the Japanese military?

JM: I don't think they would've known unless I told 'em, because it was right after the war and you know how the Japanese, there was clothes and everything, school clothes and everything. They were wearing all kind of clothes to keep warm, so...

TI: Okay. I'm curious, as you're doing your translation work, did you ever come across any other Niseis, the MIS or anyone else doing translation work?

JM: Later on, yes. Later on. The MIS people, and then there was one Japanese people, he had a university cap and everything on, and he spoke real good English and we got together, talking and everything. So after that, yeah, there was quite a few people that came in and helped in the camp, too, that would speak English. And even the Nisei people, too, one of my best friends, too, he was working in the camp, too, later on.

TI: And so you started seeing more and more of these Niseis who were being used as, like, interpreters.

JM: More and more, yeah, Niseis. Interpreters and everything.

TI: And so any interesting stories about doing things with them, any interesting conversations or anything you remember?

JM: You mean with my friends or...

TI: Yeah, friends or with the MIS, or any of the Niseis.

JM: Yeah, well, we used to go out and enjoy ourselves at the nightclubs. [Laughs] And next day we'd be at work again. You know how it is, you know the country's all messed up anyway. But we got away with everything because now they knew that we were Americans, too, so if we happened to go in some places, they, "Oh, you're, you're interpreter, huh?" And I'll say, yeah.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.