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JD: You mentioned the Marauders. When that idea, when that unit was first being formed, can you tell a little bit about that?

RM: Yeah, well, first, what happened was the Hawaiian boys from the 100th Battalion, they were already in the National Guard, so they're soldiers, already had a soldier training. So most of them were sergeant and above. But anyway, we are in a concentration camp, didn't have any prior military. So, but anyway, they're gonna, language specialists, send the students. So we're not soldiers, so even though the rank is a private, but they gave us the rank of T-5, just a corporal rating, after completed so much. Then if you're a graduate, they gave a T-4, that's a sergeant grade. But anyway, after graduation, we didn't have any military training, so they sent us to basic training, infantry. So happened that 442nd was formed, and they're training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, Hattiesburg. Anyway, that's why even though we graduate school in already T-4, but didn't have any prior military training. So basic training, we're sent to infantry training Camp Shelby. Then after graduation, came back to school, wait for assignment. At the time, this deal come up, the War Department said there is a dangerous and hazardous mission to be completed, and it only requires so many. But deal was very attractive because only, see, if you were sent to overseas and completed mission, it only takes three months, and after that you'd be rotated to stateside, then you serve rest of duty in the States. So they're very attractive because... if you're sent to the front anyway, it's dangerous anyway. So we thought the deal was good, so we volunteered, so everybody volunteered. But only took fourteen of us, and what happened... they already told us it's a hazardous mission, but... it is hazardous to go to a war zone anyway, so, "Let's go."

JD: So did they take the fourteen with the best language skills?

RM: Well, mostly they had everybody did, but what it did was, every volunteer, so interview the people has military experience and also well in the language. Then so what happened was each one go to the office and they interview, and they said yes or reject. Then I didn't go to an interview there, but they did come to the office. So they picked me without interview. The reason was Henry Gosho is a college graduate Japanese, and I know he'll be picked because he's qualified. But he sat next to me and I did well, too. So he mentioned maybe, "Pick Matsumoto." He didn't tell me, but I know because he's the only one knew me in the group. So second, Class 2, Section 2 was Henry Gosho and me, and naturally Grant was Section 1, so he's one of the best Japanese... he graduated from Matsumoto High School in Nagano. [Laughs] Name happened to be the same mine, but no relation. But he's from Matsumoto in Nagano, and he was picked. I was surprised I was picked. They told me to report with no interview, because I did well because I already had four years high school and I knew more than what they taught, I mean, as far as the language goes.

JD: Here's a question. If you went to Camp Shelby for training where all of the 442 guys were being trained, how come you didn't end up in the 442?

RM: Well, I already trained as a military language specialist. So just for the basic training we'll go there. Nothing to do with the 442nd, could be any unit to train.

JD: Didn't need language specialists in --

RM: But there's close by... well, of course, Minnesota and Arkansas. But since all Japanese outfit, 442nd, they're a segregated outfit, so we're all Japanese, most of 'em Japanese, anyway, from the camp. The only already soldier, they didn't have to go because they were already soldier with the 100th Battalion, Hawaiian National Guard. So some guy got, come to school, reduced grade and come to school, or some sergeant, so they were soldier already, these ones. So we took half of 'em, the one from the camp, then half... well, then they took seven of us from the mainland and seven from Hawaii out of a couple hundred.

JD: So the Marauders was a unit, about three thousand people, and you were sent to India where you got more training in jungle warfare, right?

RM: Uh-huh.

JD: What was that experience like? How were you treated by the non-Japanese members?

RM: Well, at first they didn't know us, so not all of 'em from mainland. The American troops were, so some from West Indies, they had training there over on the mainland. We'd get on the troop ship, SS Lurline, Hawaiian shipping company was converted into a troop ship. Most of the soldiers were down in the hole, but we'd been segregated, and they kept in the stateroom on the top. So we had a good view there. But anyway, the reason segregated, we didn't have any relation with other troops. And they thought we were Japanese prisoner chapter, then give us uniforms and make us translate, I mean, interpreter. And that was the rumor. They didn't know that we were American soldiers.

JD: They thought you were being forced to help them.

RM: Forced to help them, see, that's right. So some people thought, "Throw those guys overboard," that's what some people mentioned that. Then we'd been introduced later on, put everybody on deck and show that we're American soldiers, and special purpose, capture enemy prisoners and then we could interrogate prisoners. Then we picked some people on the way... we thought when we left San Francisco, few days later we saw Diamond Head, and we thought we were going to stop in Hawaii, good deal. But no, they didn't stop. Seeing island get smaller and smaller and disappear on the horizon. So we missed that. Then we crossed the state line, I mean, the Daylight Savings line, then end up in New Caledonia. Then pick up a few people there, get one group. Then it was a nice, beautiful place, but we didn't get off there. Then we head to Brisbane, Australia, then in the harbor, nice place, but they didn't let us go because we may go AWOL. Then pick up some more troop from, experienced people from Guadalcanal. Then went around, stop at Perth.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.