<Begin Segment 25>

FM: Yeah, that guy, why, got so much guts. I got so much respect for him. See, I started off as a sergeant, and he was a private. He was a BR man. But when I got injured the first time, I went in the hospital. They didn't know when I was gonna come back, so they moved Kash up as the staff sergeant. Then when I come back from the hospital, Kash was... "Hey, Kash, how come you taking my job?"

TI: How did that make you feel, because at the beginning, you were his sergeant and he reported to you.

FM: Yeah.

TI: And when you came back, you had to report to Kash. Did that, was that kind of funny for you, or did that, was that hard?

FM: No, it wasn't, because he was such a good man. When Kubota move up -- the platoon sergeant got hit -- so Kubota moved up as a platoon sergeant. I move out as a squad leader, and I told Kash to be my assistant. So we were working as a team already while he was still a PFC. So... and in fact, when I went on, we went on a patrol the time I got hit, I led the patrol out to determine the strength and location of the enemy. So I was about a hundred yards ahead of the main body, me and another first scout, two of us. And the main body was about hundred yards behind of us. And Kash was leading the main body out. And we came across the enemy by going in no-man's land by Arno River. Close to the Arno River. Now, Arno River, it was just river banks, so up and down like that. Flat area, then you go up and down like that. I was just about to go up a slope to see what's on the other side. A German soldier stood about 15 feet away from me. So both of us fired the Tommy gun -- I was carrying a Tommy gun on that patrol. Because when you go on patrol, you need fire power. As long as, anything that fire rapid fire. So I was carrying a Tommy gun, and the German guy was carrying a Tommy gun, also. He stood up. I look at him, he look at me, and we both fired at the same time. But he got me. I don't know whether I got him or not, but anyway... he got me, and I can hear the rest of the troops rushing up forward...

TI: To come help you.

FM: Yeah. I can hear them yelling, "We get them for you, Fred. Don't worry."

TI: And how were you hit? Where were you hit, and how badly?

FM: I got hit, it wasn't bad at all. I got a graze on the head. I got a bullet through my left wrist here, and bullet through my leg here.

TI: Boy, that was a really close call.

FM: It wasn't a major, you know. Bullet went through here, went through here, so... though, probably, if caught me here some place then I would have been killed maybe, but...

[Interruption]

FM: We thought all the Germans pulled back, but there was one guy still in the (hole) yet. So I start to place our men in position, say, "George you come here, go here. Koba over here, Champ there..." I was leading the squad, and, "okay, right here." And then just (as) soon I'd place a guy, "George, take this position here..." Then I saw a German guy, in a foxhole there, about ten feet away. So only thing, only German thing I know is achtung. And I go, "Achtung," put hand up like that. Well, he reached for his rifle, so I shot him... right there. I could see blood pouring out from his head and... oh, yeah.

TI: How did you feel when you killed somebody like that?

FM: Well, I can still see him, even today. I can still see his face. He was a young guy, you know, just like we were young, too, at that time, but...

TI: Does it still, when you have those memories, does it bother you, or how do you, how do you...

FM: No, it don't bother me as much now, but it did bother me for a while, yeah.

<End Segment 25> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.