<Begin Segment 11>

MU: Okay, now that was in '42 or so, 1942 that you entered the army? March of... what happened after that?

TM: I was at Fort Lewis for, I believe at least two weeks, every day getting shots and doing nothing, of course, waiting. A lot of Caucasians were coming and going, coming and going. We didn't go anyplace. And then every day, I see more and more Nisei, I guess, the Japanese, and the Chinese. And then there were about, I believe two, almost two dozen Nisei at Fort Lewis. At least ten, anyway. No, maybe a dozen or two. And so after about two weeks or so, I had an order to, the order said I am, I have the leadership. So I should take these men to Camp Robinson, Arkansas, for basic training.

MU: So how many men under you, or in your care?

TM: I think they were divided in two groups and I believe I had about ten or a dozen.

MU: When you were the head, leader?

TM: I was supposed to be the leader. But the two boys that came from the farming area like, near Yakima, they were told to go home.

MU: Now, why was that?

TM: Because they were farmers. They were told to go back and work on the farm. I wish I was a farmer, too. See, Spokane is about, at least 300 miles from here so nothing happened to those people.

MU: Were they recalled later on, do you know? Or drafted again later on?

TM: No, I don't know.

[Interruption]

MU: Now, we're talking about your leading a group to Camp Robinson, was it, in Arkansas? Was that a mixed group of soldiers, or was that all Nikkei?

TM: The fellows that went with me, they were all Nisei.

MU: Okay. Was there any reason to go to Camp Robinson that you could think of?

TM: No.

MU: Nothing in particular?

TM: No, no reason, I don't know. But the army does strange things. And I wouldn't know.

MU: Okay.

<End Segment 11> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.