<Begin Segment 2>

gky: You said that when you came back to the States, you found some names, that your name had been dropped from the honor roll. Can you talk about that?

KA: Oh. Well...

gky: Where it was, when it was...

KA: Well, shortly after I went to visit my parents with Harry, I came back to headquarters and I saw that, being from another theater, which means China-Burma Theatre, there was no chance to get any kind of promotion in the service, and I couldn't see myself sticking around in the service at that time. I served two years overseas and no promotion, no nothing, so when I saw this sign saying that those who were attached to ATIS [Allied Translator and Interpreter Section] for the last six months had not been promoted, sign your name here. Well, that automatically put me out of any kind of promotion. And I really didn't see any hope of a civilian job or anything else there, so I didn't want to stick around and, you know, serve in the military any longer, so I decided to go home. So I got home shortly before Christmas, and so I decided to visit my hometown and also to check to see where I stood for a high school diploma. So I went to this high school called Hilmar, which is in the rural area, and so I went to this school and I happened to be in the hallway. The principal was tied up on a phone conversation of some kind, so I was just observing what was in that hallway. And I saw this honor roll, they call it an honor roll, and I happened to look at it and I saw all these names of my friends that were, you know, non-Japanese names were up there. And so, no Nikkei names were up there. And, suddenly this old coach that I used to have in school, and also the current vice principal, happened to come by and he immediately noticed that I was looking at this thing, so he tried to pull me away. I think it sort of embarrassed him because here I was in a uniform, showing that I was discharged, and I don't know what he thought, but right away he tried to take me aside and tried to change the subject. And that sort of teed me off, so I told him, "Hey, you know, my brother was in the service, Johnny's in the service, Isawa's in the service, and I don't see their names." And he didn't know what to say. I mean, I think he felt embarrassed. He didn't know what to say or do. But that really upset me, you know. I didn't think the school would be that way, but that's the way it was.

gky: Hilmar is spelled H-I-...

KA: ...L-M-A-R.

gky: Hilmar?

KA: Yeah.

gky: And is, was that Gardena?

KA: No, no, no. That's up central Cal, south of Stockton.

gky: In what town?

KA: Hilmar, a little town in Hilmar. In fact...

gky: Near Fresno or further?

KA: Northwest of Fresno. It's north about 70 miles. But anyway, I have a dear friend over there; these are the people that I used to live with as a schoolboy. And about a year and half ago we were talking. So, I said, "Bit, I never told you this, but I want you to know that I ran across this situation where I went and the name wasn't on there," and she was shocked. She didn't know that there was such a thing happening, and she was a grammar school teacher, you know.

gky: Did your name ever get put on there?

KA: I don't know. I never checked back or anything else, but I'm sure it was very embarrassing, you know.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2000 Bridge Media and Densho. All Rights Reserved.