Densho Digital Archive - Jiro Sugidono Interview (denshovh-sjiro-01-0022)

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TI: So now I'm going to jump you forward a little bit. You were being trained as a replacement troop for the 442. Can you tell me when you met up with the 442? When did you join the 442?

JS: Oh, (yes), that was (after) I came home from furlough, we were (...) shipped to New York, (...) another training camp there. And I think that was just about end of December or first of January. Anyway, we went to (...) New York, we went to Baltimore to train in artillery. They show us how to shoot artillery, and then later we had a little leave. And a bunch of my friend, one of my friend was from Watsonville, Tommy Kokka, well, he passed away now. We went to New York... not New York, but Washington, D.C., where they had all the Lincoln Memorial and all that, and we went (on) a pass, and they took us all around and everything. And we had, naturally, we had 442nd uniform on, and we asked how much it costs. And that (cab driver) said, saw our patch, and he said, "Oh, just forget it." I guess he knew about our outfit. So (yes), we felt good. I mean, we didn't go over yet, but he knew about the (442nd Regimental Combat Team) who came back. Then from there, we went from New York, I'm pretty sure we were on Queen Mary, that was a big liner from England, and I think we landed in Dover, (England). And from Dover, we went to France, and I think that was Marseilles, and that's where I met, went up in the hills, and met our 442nd unit. We were all spread out in the hill there.

TI: So this was southern France.

JS: (Yes), southern France. (Yes), we were (...) all scattered over there (in the mountains).

TI: So this is southern France, and this is right after the 442 had done some heavy, heavy fighting. They had liberated Bruyeres, they had rescued the "Lost Battalion," all that.

JS: (Yes), that's all, afterward.

TI: And so when you met with them at that point, what did they look like? I mean, what did you sense from them when you first saw them?

JS: Oh, I tell you, I heard... well, some didn't say it, but I heard that some of those veterans, what they hate is some of these guys like us who just come over, want to go over there and win the battle. 'Cause they're already, already (did their) fighting. (...) And they don't want to get Purple Heart or anything like that, 'cause the next one might be it. So they were really touchy. But if you're talking about you're gonna kill somebody or something like that, oh, (yes).

TI: And when you said they got touchy about that, I mean, how would they react? If one of the new guys...

JS: You could tell, they didn't like the idea, the way these, (...) the recruits, talked. They're gonna win the war or something. 'Cause what they went through, they're just lucky that they're here.

TI: And so if you, thinking back to that time, if you saw, like a new replacement and then a 442 guy who was there for a while, could you tell the difference?

JS: (Yes), you could tell. You could tell the way they dressed. There was an old-timer, heck, his shirt's all wrinkled up, this and that. It's not GI. Of course, when they're up front, you don't have to worry about those things. But when you're at the rest camp, you gotta have your tie straight, your buckles on your shoe right, everything. (Yes), they were strict on that. But (yes), when they were at the rest camp, we were on the staging area in France, they're all kind of laid back. All they did is when they got the K ration, they start drinking the beer. At that time, I was still kind of young yet, so, well, I liked beer, but then not that much, so I used to exchange my beer for candy. [Laughs] But later on, it went the other way around. I kept them 'cause I started drinking later, but at that time, heck, they gave us K ration, beer, candy, K ration, oh (yes), cigarettes. That I won't give away, 'cause that's like money.

TI: Now, did the old timers, did they ever talk about some of the fighting they went through?

JS: (No), you know, strangely, none of us said anything about that. (Yes), I mean, they talked maybe like the way I'm doing now about what their experience was, but at that time, I didn't hear anybody talk about what they went through. They didn't mention anything. (Yes), 'cause they didn't even talk about casualties, when a friend got killed or something like that, (yes). I guess it's too hard for them to say, I don't know.

TI: How about like, did they ever give you pointers or tips on how to stay alive while you were in Europe? Did they ever...

JS: No, they didn't, they didn't give you no, us any advice like that. I guess they figured, "Well, they trained you guys, you should know what to do." They didn't say nothing about how to fight or nothing like that, 'cause some guys, heck, you could tell by the stories, they didn't have to do what they did, but they did. That's how they got the Purple Heart or Silver Star or even DSC. They did something they didn't have to do. They knew if they didn't do it, that their buddy will get killed, so there's some other guys, they got something in them, they do it. (Yes), that's why.