<Begin Segment 26>

TI: And before you go there, I, I remember there was one other incident that I wanted to go back. And this was, I think back when you were still at New Guinea, but I recall you talking about a story where you were with a group of POW's on the beach.

SK: Ohhh, yes.

TI: I think that was the case and can you talk about that story?

SK: Oh yeah, I think this happened in around July or August 1944. I accompanied roughly 600 prisoners who were being transported from New Guinea down to Australia and they were being transported to the place where they would board the ships, various LCIs, I think they were. LCI, I think they stand for Landing Craft Infantry or something like that. Anyway LCI we referred to them. And so we loaded them up on the trucks with these fellows with the blue arm band here and there to assist in, in the transfer and we all drove down to the edge of the beach and then we noticed all the lister bags full of drinking water strung out so many yards apart on the beach and the prisoners noticed that and one of them asked me, "Would it be all right to, for us to go to get a drink of water from there." And I said, and I asked the MPs and the MP says, "Fine, fine, let them do that." So, I said, "Go ahead." And they were taking turns drinking out of a cup with a long handle and the cup. And they would get the drink and, and take a sip and then throw the rest out and then hand it to the next man. And they were doing that when we hear a squeaking noise and a cloud of dust, here comes a big truck full of combat troops armed to the teeth, led by a burly sergeant who jumps off first and makes a mad dash for the nearest lister bag and then he comes to a screeching halt when he realizes -- bunch of Orientals, prisoners. So the prisoner with the ladle recognized what was happening, so instead of drinking, he pretended to throw the water out of the cup and he turned the handle toward the sergeant. And the sergeant in a big voice, he swore first and then he said, "I ain't about to take it from them" or words to that affect. So I, fortunately I was standing right next to that prisoner nearby. So lean forward, grab the handle. I said in Japanese, "Let go, give it to me instead," in Japanese. And he let go and I pretended to take a swallow, dripped a few drops out of the cup and turned the handle toward the sergeant and in a big voice I said, "Okay then Sarge, here you are." And I tossed it toward him and he said, "Okay, this is different," and he took it. And with that, the MP says, "Let's get 'em aboard." So we all hurried, hurried and got them aboard and I accompanied the MPs back to the compound and one of them sat next to me and says, "Boy, it's a good thing you remembered to speak in English to that sergeant." [Laughs] And I said, "Yeah. That's for sure."

TI: And what could you imagine would have happened if, if you weren't there to diffuse the situation?

SK: I don't know. He was not, he wasn't about to permit an enemy prisoner of all things to give him a drink of water. [Laughs]

TI: Yeah, that's a good story.

<End Segment 26> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.