<Begin Segment 5>

FK: And so where did, where did you go when you were drafted?

ZS: Well, I had to go to Utah for my basic training... no, my, that was where I got inducted. And they sent me to Fort Worth, Texas, for my basic training. And from there ended up at the Fort Snelling language, MIS language school there. And, 'bout the time I graduated, the war was over and they sent me to Japan for a, as a translator and interpreter.

FK: So you were in Japan during the occupation?

ZS: Uh-huh.

FK: And how long did you spend there?

ZS: Not too long, about a year and a half. Actually, from Japan, from Tokyo, I ended up in Manila as a court interpreter down there. Then I was discharged, I think it was '65... '45.

FK: Do you remember any, any things about your service that stands out in your mind as far as...

ZS: No, not too much. It was all routine stuff there.

FK: Did people in Japan think anything of you looking like a Japanese but being on the other side?

ZS: No. In fact, I had a relative in Japan, in Tokyo, and I used to visit him once in a while. And I don't recall any problem.

FK: Well, did you find your year and a half that you spent there being really helpful to you in being there?

ZS: Well, helpful in the sense that I learned Japanese pretty good. I was able to read those kanji characters and things like that. Although I've forgotten all that now, but then, at that time, that was pretty good.

FK: So if you were... so you said you were a court interpreter? Is that... so what type of things would come up that you'd have to, that they had you working at?

ZS: Yeah, a lot of those Japanese soldiers, they got in trouble because they were convicted for... what do you call it? Well, anyway, I was just one of a team there so I couldn't remember everything. But then, some of those generals there, they were convicted and hung and things like that.

FK: So do you know how they, they picked you to go to Fort Snelling to be part of MIS? Was there a process?

ZS: No, I really didn't know exactly how it came about that way. Although I remember my father must have known about this language school and he talked me into going there because he didn't want me to go into combat. So, that's how I happened to go to Fort Snelling language school. And they told me that the school... the army told me that, yeah, if I go to language school I'll get a promotion when I graduated. But it didn't turn out that way.

<End Segment 5> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.