<Begin Segment 30>

TI: And let's talk about that story and because what happened was that Matsumura and Kashino both got a special court-martial and so that was a blemish on their record. And now let's go to 1983 when there was a reunion, and what I hear is that some of the boys were teasing Shiro about the court-martial. Can you explain that a little bit?

SK: Yeah. I distinctly remember that scene. We were having a party at Cest si bon in (Pago da Hotel), and we were all seated and Kashino came a little late. And from way on the other side -- and this is from another company, Company M guy yelling, "Hey Kashino, the snafu man." Snafu, situation normal, all fouled up or whatever F word you want to use. So Kashino just brushed it off his shoulder, said, "Oh, go to hell." "Go to hell." That's it.

TI: But it was an M Company person who said this and so most of the other companies knew about this situation?

SK: I'm quite sure. I'm quite sure, but I think M Company and I Company had the same banquet together, if I'm not mistaken. But I know this guy who made that remark. I know he's dead now, of course, but he made the remark and it really hurt me. Here Kashino is a well-liked person and a good soldier, good man, and yet even in joking manner for this guy to say something like that to Kashino, it made me feel bad. It made me feel... I was angry, too.

TI: Was the M Company person who said that, was it just as a joke or was it sort of, was he trying to get under Kashino's skin a little bit?

SK: Maybe it was just as a joke because Kashino is an outgoing guy, too, so maybe it was meant as a joke, too, but to me it really hit hard. I didn't feel that it was a joke. So (for) this (...) reason I wrote to Dan Inouye if he could do something about releasing Kashino from this court-martial conviction.

<End Segment 30> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.