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gky: This is the 8th of January, the year 2001, with Kazuo Yamane, K-A-Z-U-O Yamane, Y-A-M-A-N-E, and we're in Honolulu. Mr. Yamane, can you tell me how you got into the service?

KY: November of '41 I was drafted in the forced draft in Honolulu.

gky: And where were you serving? Where were you getting trained before Pearl Harbor?

KY: We were at Schofield Barracks having our basic training.

gky: And then what happened when Pearl Harbor happened, when the attack on Pearl Harbor happened?

KY: When Pearl Harbor was attacked, we were on leave Saturday and Sunday so I was at home, and I heard the radio broadcast saying, "All military personnel to return to your post immediately," so I went back to Schofield.

gky: And, what did you find? You know, the bombing and the...

KY: Well, after 1941 there was no freeway, so we had that old Red Hill Road that goes down to slope near Pearl Harbor. And you could see all the devastation go on, the bombing, dive bombers, and we actually have to go through a road that goes alongside Pearl Harbor to get to Schofield Barracks, and boy it was something. It was a sight to see. Really devastating.

gky: How about people? What was going on? Was it chaotic, or...

KY: Pardon?

gky: Chaotic?

KY: Oh, yeah. Well, after, when we got to Schofield Barracks, we supposedly were in basic training yet, so we didn't have all the training for ammunition and all that. When we went to Pearl Harbor, the rifles were not even ready. They took it out of storage, the ammunition came out from the storage. And it was -- that night was absolutely scary. We had New York artillery in the back of us, and they were shooting, shooting at us too on the ground. It was really chaotic.

gky: Then once the attack happened and order was restored somewhat, what happened to you?

KY: The night of December 7th, Schofield Barracks and military installation usually is lighted but is completely dark, you know, you can't see anything. You can't see your hand in front of you. We went back to our tents and being only trainees yet, we weren't exactly organized, but actually looking east toward Pearl Harbor you could see all the flashing bombs and exploding, and it's really scary, yeah. You know New York artillery behind us was shooting at us and it was really something to experience.

gky: Were you treated any differently because you're Japanese American?

KY: Well, when it was certain that the planes were Japanese planes, then gradually we felt there was a certain amount of fear among the other nationalities. And for that matter, while we were at Pearl Harbor... no, while we were at Schofield Barracks, in fact, that night, all GIs of Japanese blood were pooled together in certain tents, and our own friends were outside of us with rifles, you know. Our rifle was taken away and we were just prisoners at that time. That lasted that night only, though.

gky: The night of December 7th?

KY: No, December 8th, I think.

[Interruption]

gky: So that was the night of December 8th, then what happened? When did they give you your rifles back?

KY: They gave us back that next day and we went back to normal assignments.

gky: And what was your normal assignment, or did you have to finish going through basic training?

KY: Well, we had no basic training after that, we're in state of war. So then we were sent out to the details put to put some beef into the freezer, or do all kind of work, get the provisions stored away. That's our work. After about a week or so of that, I had actually ROTC in high school, so looking at the records, all those with ROTC were sent out in the field. And I was assigned to the 298th Infantry, Company E, which was based on the windward side and were sent out on details on getting that, around barbed wire barricades, you know, NCA, that we, during the day we're patrolling, four hours on, four hours off, and we were sent out on this detail. We had one sergeant and two of us, three, who were dumped at certain strategic points on the coastline. They gave us no provision. All we had is a thousand rounds of ammunition and a rifle, and some provision. And then they told us to get to that point there and you build a bunker, you know, and nothing was furnished so you go to the neighbors' house and get the chicken coop, then we'd get lumber, scrap lumber for it, and start building, you know, more or less for our safety, barricade. Actually, at night we were going on patrol on the coastline. Day and night we were on duty for six months.

gky: So there was no difference between you and a soldier of any other nationality?

KY: No, at that time, no. But, we had one -- actually, the sergeant was Hawaiian Chinese, and another private was Portuguese, and I was born Japanese American and they felt kind of -- not the sergeant, but the other fellow was kind of, felt uneasy, you know. And, after in my own mind, I thought that being on the coastline, sandy beach, and no camouflage, no nothing, so I used to dig a hole, foxhole, so I can, if it's bombardment, I could get into the foxhole. Actually, this Portuguese private was very suspicious what I was doing, but anyway, that's the kind of incident I used to encounter. But nothing serious, you know.

gky: And they never told you the reason why, after that first night when you were guarded, that then you went back to normal operations?

KY: Well, the only rumor I heard was that the reason why, the reason why the Nisei GIs were rounded up was that there was rumors that there was a group of so-called Japanese Americans, or whatever, that they were going to poison the reservoir. There's a Lake Wilson in Wahiawa furnishes the water for the town and Schofield. So rumors were that they were going to poison the water in Lake Wilson. That's the reason they rounded us up. I don't know. That's only a rumor I heard at that time.

<End Segment 1> - Copyright © 2001 Bridge Media and Densho. All Rights Reserved.