<Begin Segment 7>

DM: I guess what I was trying to see is how, how did Mr. Matsuda -- we've been to Hawaii to every reunion. We've never met him. My father's never mentioned him. How did he deal with that court-martial?

SK: Well, I think he felt guilty all along. So he never associated with the I Company boys, much less with the 2nd Platoon boys. He... to begin with, he was a loner. And he used to cause a little bit of problems during our training sessions, too, training period. And at one time, I almost got into a fight with Matsuda, also, because we were different, the same platoon, but I was with first squad, and he was with second squad. Late in the morning, he was yelling his head off and disturbing the whole barracks. So I say, "Hey, Jimmy, stop it. Shut up already. We want to get to sleep." Something like that anyway. Then from the other side, he said, "F-you." And I felt so angry. Here we're trying to sleep, and we can't sleep after the hard days of training. I had almost, I was almost going to the other barracks and shut him up, that's how angry I was. But this is one incident. He was causing problems with the other fellows, too. So as I say, he was a loner.

And I feel this way -- by gathering all the stories, as he told me -- he was going to this dance hall, he was stopped by the MP officer or someone. He ignored the MP, because at that time, we did not need any pass, so-called -- you know what pass is? -- okay, to go outside the company area. But at that time, it was all combat area, you see, this whole section that we were in. So he figured he didn't need any pass. So he ignored the MP. This is just my conjecture, now, just drawing a picture. So he entered the room, the bar, and he went to a table. And the MP followed him, and with a drawn pistol, "You're under arrest." And what I feel he did was, whichever side, he just turned around, I think, brushed the pistol away, and with his right, punched. I believe this is true, because the wife said, "You know, my husband was a boxer." Instinct, I think. This -- I'm drawing a picture like this. Maybe it's not true, but I believe this is what happened. He just brushed away the pistol and in the same swing, he just punched him.

So he knew it. I'm quite sure he knew it. So he doesn't want to come out with the absolute truth, you see. But at least he wrote and said that, "I believe I punched him." I think that's what he wrote in his affidavit, yeah. Interesting guy.

DM: I'd like you to say something, too, about what happened to Mr. Matsuda.

SK. Well, he passed away.

DM: Yes. It was six weeks after.

SK. Yes. Yes, that's right. Lung cancer.

DM: Six weeks after my father.

BT: I think July or August.

SK: Was it August?

BT: Yeah. Couple months after, yeah.

LK: Couple months.

DM: But that was a very crucial part of this.

SK: Yes.

BT: Yeah.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.