<Begin Segment 5>

JD: Let's go back to the, let's go back to the language school experience. How many people left Jerome to go to the language school, and what was that like when you were there in Minnesota?

RM: Oh, about a dozen people from Jerome and a dozen from Rohwer. The two camp in Arkansas, close by, about thirty miles away. But anyway, since a lot of people mad about the United States because the immigrants, because they've been sent to camp and they lost everything, most of them were farmers, farm implement and they couldn't sell, and produce, couldn't harvest, and lost everything, see. So they get mad at American government is doing to them. But also they did it do American citizen, too, like me, I was born there. But they hate the government and so don't want to help the United States. So says, "Don't volunteer." And, "that's a spy school," and things like that. So we don't want to be attacked, so secretly, early in the morning, we left the camp and get on the train and reported to Fort Snelling, and get clothes and everything, then sent to a place called Camp Savage, that's where they started the language school. But language school originally started in San Francisco, but they moved to Savage.

JD: When you first went there, did you know you were going to be part of Military Intelligence Service?

RM: No. Well, language is important in intelligence, but they didn't say it was Military Intelligence and I didn't think... but anyway, I didn't think of what they could do. But the main thing is I want to get out of camp, so I joined. I didn't know. I went there, but since Japanese, I know they're going to teach from the ABC. But already I'm four years of high school, so I knew I, what they teach, so I know it would be easy for me. But end up that was my easy street for me.

JD: When did you first hear about the Military Intelligence Service and know that you had a chance to be part of that?

RM: Well, I didn't know what going to be doing, either teach language or go in the service, or I don't know. But when I went there, they start to teach military intelligence things, vocabulary about military term and things like that, so I know, found out. But besides, other than that, they sent me to intelligence school. That was a secret, so nobody knew, but I had special training. I didn't have to learn Japanese. Some people said, "Hey, you know more than the instructors." Because only thing I have to... well, answer the questions, things like that, naturally I'll do well. And later on it helped, but it so happened that they have twenty-one classes, then we're top class, Section 2, second from the top. I had a soldier named Grant Hirabayashi, he was a Section 1, and I was Section 2 and also other Marauder pick it up is Henry Gosho was Section 2 with me and sat next to me. And he was also a high school graduate, too, and also college graduate. So the Japanese language, have to, I didn't have to learn, but he didn't have to. He could have been instructor, but as a student, we graduated. Then this Marauder thing came up.

JD: Were the Kibei treated differently from Japanese Americans who had not been to Japan?

RM: At the school?

JD: Well, or in general, by the government. Was there any suspicion of you?

RM: Well, others, Kibeis I think were suspected because might be loyal to... because when attended Japanese school, they teach you to be loyal to the emperor. So some Kibei might be sympathizing with the Japanese. But some people didn't join the army, you know, actually some maybe hate United States government, I suppose. Those are people, the "No-No Boys" later on come up. I joined the army, and so since I joined the army, I decided to show I'm not a second class citizen, I'm not an alien or enemy. So I would show that I'm a loyal American, and so my intention, end up in, what do you call it? Well, I could accomplish what I intend to do. That why I risked my life to show... of course, I'm scared, too, but show that I'm not disloyal. Even though I risk my life to do my duty to show that I'm loyal American.

JD: Do you think the other, most other Nisei who joined the U.S. military had the same feeling? That it was to prove the loyalty of the Japanese American community with other Nisei?

RM: Well, I think most of 'em... I don't know other people, but as far as I know, the group with me, all of 'em tried to show that they're loyal Americans, to be loyal to America, the way they acted, talked.

<End Segment 5> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.