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TI: And so you go through this official adoption process. I actually love that little story that you had to walk around with "Ota" on your uniform. So I'm assuming that after you changed it, you then changed back to Kenmotsu?

RK: Yeah.

TI: And so did people notice that? They said, "Hey, Ron, your named changed." Did anyone notice the change from Ota to Kenmotsu?

RK: I told them.

TI: Oh, so at this point, you told people what had happened?

RK: They even asked me, "Why are you going into the city?" and I told him, "Because I'm going through the adoption process." They had the platoon sergeants and all, the captains and whatever, they had to get used to calling me Kenmotsu instead of Ota.

TI: So I'm sure they stumbled a few times. When they want to yell at you, they'd probably go, "Ota."

RK: Yeah, I happened to have my social security changed, the whole works.

TI: Yeah, I'm curious. Like social security and things like this, when I went through that process, I had to show a birth certificate.

RK: Yeah.

TI: But then your birth certificate said "Ota," so how did it become Kenmotsu?

RK: I had to show now that my...

TI: Oh, so earlier it was Ota, and then kind of changed it to Kenmotsu.

RK: Right.

TI: So earlier you did have documents that said Ota?

RK: So I had to change everything.

TI: But it sounds like, up until this point, you never talked openly about being adopted. I mean, you told your, now your army people that you were adopted. Before that, did you tell anyone else that you were adopted?

RK: No.

TI: So this was really the first time? And how did it feel to just now be able to tell people?

RK: After?

TI: Yeah.

RK: Oh, boy. It's a load off my shoulders. So I don't have to worry about telling everybody, "Oh, I'm an Ota."

TI: And that you didn't have to worry about, "Oh, my social security card says Ota, but I'm telling everyone I'm Kenmotsu." Now everything was Kenmotsu.

RK: Everything is one piece now.

TI: Okay. So like you say, a weight off your shoulders, it was probably a relief.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2024 Densho. All Rights Reserved.