<Begin Segment 25>

MU: And now we go back to your commandant. I think he gave you a special assignment in Tokyo when you got there.

HW: Yes, yeah. He says, he casually asked me while we were aboard ship, coming to Yokohama, that he would need help, other than translation because, because he's short of officer staff. So I said, "Fine, anything I could do to help I'll be happy to help," is what I told him. And this was after we had our conversation about having bodyguards. He called me up to his cabin and he says, "You're gonna have bodyguards when we get to Japan. Somebody might harm you."

MU: Uh-huh.

HW: I told the colonel, "No, I won't need bodyguards. I can handle things fine without bodyguards." And we kinda argued about that for a little bit. And then he says, "Well, why don't you come back, think it over tonight and come back tomorrow? I'll call you up and we'll talk about it some more." And he did. Went up and talked to him and he said, "Why do you think you don't need any bodyguards?" And I says, Well -- Colonel Edwards was his name -- I said...

MU: What was the name?

HW: Colonel Edwards.

MU: Colonel Edwards.

HW: He said -- so I told him, I says, "Colonel, the war is over. These people in Japan are people like you and me. So I don't need bodyguards." He says, "Okay."

MU: Really?

HW: Yeah. And so we went there without bodyguards. And then in -- out of Yokohama, we got on a convoy at night and about twelve or one o'clock in the morning, convoy stops. I wonder where our, we were. Somebody's beatin' on the side of the truck, you know, coming down calling my name.

MU: So, who, who was he? White officer or Nikkei officer?

HW: Who, the commandant?

MU: No, the one that was calling for your name.

HW: No, no, it was just an enlisted man.

MU: Oh, enlisted man.

HW: And so I poked my head out and I said, "Here I am." He says, "Grab your bags and this is where you get off." So I grab my bag and jumped off and the whole, long convoy just took off, you know.

MU: Who was in the convoy, by the way?

HW: Well, this is the headquarters staff, personnel.

MU: Were there other...

HW: We went by one ship from Manila to Yokohama.

MU: Were there other Niseis in there?

HW: Uh...

MU: Can't recall?

HW: I think there were a few, yeah. Uh-huh.

MU: Okay. Okay, now what happens?

HW: Anyway, so, gee, one o'clock in the morning and I look around. Convoy leaves, everything to one side is all burned down, and this sign is a hotel is -- Dai Ichi Hotel. And that side of the buildings are in pretty good shape. Thought, "Well, nothing to do but just go inside the hotel if the door's open and curl up somewhere and sleep." I went to sleep. Woke up in the morning and I hear some noise and there's a signal corps putting in telephone lines. So I went to the sergeant and I say, "Are you in charge of put...?" He says, "I am." So I says, "Would you please let me know when you're through? I have to call the headquarters commandant." He came over and told me, "We're all hooked up. You can call him." So I called the headquarters commandant. Told him who I was and where I was, and he says, "Okay, you're gonna manage that hotel." [Laughs]

<End Segment 25> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.