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JD: So you got the Legion of Merit award, and you've said some things about that. Do you feel as if, if you had been a white sergeant, would you have gotten the Medal of Honor?

RM: No, that's a different think. Book caught that I was awarded Legion of Merit at Nhpum Ga, but Legion of Merit is awarded not bravery, they're for the service. Of course, bravery involved, too. But the value of the information, therefore... and about couple months ago, I saw the Army Times, and mentioned about Legion of Merit. Legion of Merit is awarded to senior officer and senior noncom. And that means lieutenant and captain are not authorized to be awarded, not qualified to be. What I mean is they could give it to 'em, but not allowed to receive it, qualification. Same way, the Legion of Merit goes to the senior officer such as a colonel and general, and foreign dignitaries, foreign heads, and senior noncom, noncommissioned officer. So sergeant and corporal is noncommissioned, but lower. Got to be senior such as staff sergeant and tech sergeant, master sergeant. Only one allowed, qualified. The reason is that I was a buck sergeant, then buck sergeant didn't. But so important that they awarded me. In order for me to be qualified, made me a staff sergeant. I just recently found out. I thought, meantime I was promoted staff sergeant, so staff sergeant got it, but no. In order to make staff sergeant to be eligible to receive Legion of Merit, so that's a high honor. That's the third highest service medal, not bravery. See, if it's bravery it would be Distinguished Service Cross or whatever.

But when Nhpum Ga thing over, name Warren Ventura, he's the sergeant, machine gun nest, he witnessed that because he was green combat team, exactly, I stood up among the enemy, so our side could shoot me or enemy shoot me, too, if they recognized me. So I'm risking my life, and so he mentioned what I've done. And this article came out in Burma News, our Merrill's Marauders organ there. And what happened was Sergeant Ventura asked Colonel McGee, "How come he wasn't recommended for Medal of Honor?" Then the article said, "He was only enlisted man doing his job," and enlisted men don't receive it. Well, enlisted men receive a lot of prior record there, but he said, "He's only enlisted man doing his job, so he's not qualified." That was his statement.

But what happened was when I was inducted Hall of Fame, in lieu of a medal, after fifty years, forty-nine years, then next year I had a chance go to go San Diego, and on the way back, stopped by his place, Sergeant Ventura's place, and stopped him and thanked him for mentioning me in the Burma News. Then he said that wasn't it, the way he said it. Now, this year, a few months ago, commanding officer passed away. And my habit is I don't want to degrade or talk about commanding officer, my commanding officer. I respect his authority, so I didn't say anything until this time for sixty years. And anyway, what he said was he mentioned... I don't know whether you could say it now, but anyway, I'm gonna say it. What happened was he's deceased, so it won't be embarrassing himself, but the thing he said was, "Well, he's of Jap descent, and Jap don't deserve that." But he cannot write that, so make it that "he's only enlisted man doing his job." So kind of disappointed me. I didn't mention anybody until this time. But he's gone now, and reunion, I just went there and I made a donation to the association in memory of the commanding officer. But that's all right with me because I was inducted Hall of Fame, and anyway, that was a true story. I never mentioned it to anybody, so never knew. So that's a kind of... because he's from Texas, and he told me, Ventura is Italian descent, and he told me he looked down on me. So that's racial discrimination. He tell me, "He didn't tell you at the time was that he said, 'He's a Jap.'" Then I got a book he wrote. He didn't mention Japanese, he said, "Jap, Jap, Jap" everything. So even though I'm an American Japanese, he said he was just a good soldier, that's all they did. And his book, I still got it. He gave me copy. He didn't go into detail what I've done, but story, true story, in McLogan wrote an eyewitness account to commanding officer in Fort Huachuca. That's why I was also inducted into Military Intelligence. That's a great intelligence I got at Nhpum Ga. Not only Walawbum. But Walawbum is the one, troop movement, that's the most important. That's why even though I'm only sergeant, but made me to staff sergeant to be qualified to be able to receive Legion. So I appreciate the consideration, but General Stillwell, General Merrill made it. Well, General Stillwell, by command of General Stillwell, and they presented me by General Merrill, and also there's a picture of me, colonel, I mean, general congratulating me. And nobody mentioned that, but eyewitness probably, they're gone already, but he mentioned, he's speaking Japanese, and he said, "Job well done," in Japanese. So I know how much they appreciate what I have done risking my life up in a tree, then shooting at us.

But they never mentioned -- some book mentioned, but I was awarded Legion of Merit, but not the bravery, but service medal. But people think it was a secret, see, and my orders is top secret, so nobody's supposed to know. So they know I was awarded, but they didn't say what I've done. So they think the people, everybody talk about Nhpum Ga, we survived. But they tried to give me credit, but to me, it's teamwork. So that's why I thought, first thing, why I was awarded this? Well, I know, because Lieutenant Ed McLogan, co-commanding officer, what's going on. So to me, his alertness started it all. So he's my only true hero. So I recommended him for the Hall of Fame, and fortunately, he was inducted Hall of Fame. That's why he made, he knows that he recommended me for Military Intelligence, and I got a letter, copy of a letter what he wrote to them, eyewitness account of what I have done.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.