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TI: So as you find out that your mom blurts out you're adopted, but technically you weren't adopted, right? They didn't do the paperwork at this point. So did you ever, during this time, did you ever have to look at your birth certificate? Or how did you find out that you weren't officially adopted?

RK: As far as my birth certificate, no, I never saw that. The only way I found out that I would legally have to change my name was when I was in the service. When I enlisted in the service, one of the questions that they ask you was, "Have you ever lived under a different name?" So that's when I had to say, "Yeah. My real name is Ronald Ota." So then for six months, when I was in the service, my name tag said "Ota."

TI: Oh, because that was your legal name. Even though you thought of yourself as Kenmotsu. Because everything else up to that point, like library cards or anything else, it was Kenmotsu. When you were in the service, you had to answer this questionnaire?

RK: Well, I actually, at that time, I had to bring my birth certificate with me.

TI: Oh, so that's the first time...

RK: Well, not so much birth certificate, it's the military card. When I first enlisted, I enlisted under Kenmotsu, so that's what my military card said. But then when they found out that I also had the name of Ota, I had to change that.

TI: Because at that point, you told them, or they found out and you told them that, still, legally, you were Ota even though you were using Kenmotsu.

RK: Because my birth certificate still said Ota.

TI: So it was about this time, well, let me back up a little bit. Your decision to join the army, so you graduate from high school. When you're in high school, was that your plan? I mean, what were you thinking about military service and the family situation, I'm trying to get at the decision to join the army. Because this is about 1961 that you're doing this?

RK: '61. I just kind of looked at what I was doing, and with my grades the way they were, I just got to get out of here for a while and get my head straight. Because there was no way I was going to get into a college unless I went to City College or whatever. But I just needed to get away.

TI: Did you have anyone to talk about with this decision? It's a big decision, right, in terms of you graduated from high school, which path did you take? Was there anyone that you remember? It could be another adult, too, it could be one of your coaches or a minister or another adult or a friend. Is there anyone that you could...

RK: Well, I discussed it with one my classmates, because he was thinking about going into the military himself. So we just kind of decided, well, let's go into what they call a buddy system, two guys going in as buddies. But then when we went to the recruiting office, he backed out. And I figured, well, I'm the one who started this, I'm going to see it through. I needed to get away for a while. So that was it, I mean, I enlisted. But it helped just to get away, clear my head. Maybe not so much going into the military, but...

TI: Maybe running away a little bit from your family situation.

<End Segment 11> - Copyright © 2024 Densho. All Rights Reserved.