<Begin Segment 21>

TI: Well, after the battle of the "Lost Battalion," then you pulled back down to southern France. And, although you're still on duty, sort of guarding the line there, it was a chance to sort of relax a little bit more, too; it wasn't as intense.

FM: Yeah.

TI: And I think it was at this time, there was that incident with the MP. Can you explain what happened then?

FM: Yeah, sure. At that time we went to a local nightclub, like music, drinking, and dancing. We were there, about seven of us is sitting around the table, enjoying a few drinks, talking. And when the music come out, some of us would go dancing. And we were doing that, and I saw some MPs coming in. Where I was sitting, I could see the bar. And one of our guys, Tadao Hayashi, he was at the bar talking to the bartender, making hand signs and all kind of stuff. And the MPs came in. And I looked up there, and they were talking to Hayashi, so I stood up. The rest were sitting there. Just by myself I went up there. I talk to the MPs, and I says, "Is anything, anything wrong here? Are you having any problems?" They say, "No, no problem." They say, "Is he one of your men?" I say, "Yeah, he's one of my men." Says, "Well, take care of him." "Yeah, I sure will." And they started to walk off.

So I returned to the table. Just when I was about to sit, I heard some footsteps running. So I turn around, just in time to see one of the guys throw a punch at somebody in the crowd there of the MPs. I couldn't tell who it was. In that instant, Kash and I, and about three or four others rush over there. And I think Kash was the one that pulled that kid away, and we tried to get things to settle down. We talked to the MPs, and say, "Hey, let's take it easy. We don't want any problems here." And in a few minutes, everything was settled, and we shook hands with the MPs, and they said, you know. And they left.

TI: Why did he run over there and throw a punch? Do you know why?

FM: I don't really know why.

TI: Okay.

FM: But he said later that the, the MP ask him about a pass, whether he have a pass or not to be out here. And I guess... that, that's what he told Kubota, and later on in the statement that he wrote, see. But I saw him running, and when I look, I saw this guy throwing a punch. So the following day, we were all picked up in the morning. There were about eight of us.

TI: And who picked you up?

FM: Some MPs came by. And, 'til this day, I don't know how they found out who were there, or what happened.

<End Segment 21> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.