Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Rudy Tokiwa Interview II
Narrator: Rudy Tokiwa
Interviewers: Tom Ikeda (primary), Judy Niizawa (secondary)
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Date: July 2 & 3, 1998
Densho ID: denshovh-trudy-02-0036

<Begin Segment 36>

TI: Let's go to your role as a messenger, as a runner. And at times you were privy to, probably, what the officers were saying, because you would be a runner going from headquarters out to the various companies to give them messages?

RT: Yeah. When it was a secret message, that was our job.

TI: And can you recall any instances where it gave you some insights as to how they used the 442 in combat?

RT: Well, the thing was, like when Colonel Pence was our boss, when he was top dog there, he was a real nice man. I used to talk to him and stuff like that. He wasn't one of these high and mighty, "I'm a full Colonel and you're just a private. What're you doin' talkin' to me?" But he was the one, he always said, "Well, you guys are gonna have it pretty rough." And he was the one that really opened my eyes to the fact that, usually, you only train eight months, and you guys were here four months. That's four months longer than anybody else. And he used to tell me now, how the officers were picked and everything. And his, his thoughts were always, "We have a general that likes you. So if we can prove ourselves, we have it made." as far as Pence was concerned, he would never waiver from us. He believed in us a hundred percent. And so when it came time on the front lines, we used to go in places where other units wouldn't go. But it was always Pence's orders. We were pretty proud, too, because when General Mark Clark, he used to come out and do a lotta presenting of the medals to our outfits, where he wouldn't go to the Caucasian outfits. And he always used to say how great we were.

<End Segment 36> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.