<Begin Segment 26>

TI: And how important do you think it was to have the Niseis, Japanese language speaking speakers in the MPs? Was that a valuable thing?

SK: I think so, but I think they did more good during the wartime because they could translate lot of the documents. With American, lot of 'em couldn't do it, so that, they did more good, especially in the southwest Pacific and stuff.

TI: Well, and how do you think the Japanese viewed Japanese American soldiers? When you would need to talk to a Japanese national about something, and they would realize you're a U.S. soldier, what kind of reaction did you get?

SK: Mostly like, I used to have a good, not good friend, but I used knew one place with a camera shop, and I liked to look at different kind of camera, and I'd like to buy a camera. I had good relations with 'em, 'cause they were, for them, it was hard to get cameras. And the PX used to sell cameras, Minoltas and stuff. They were not high-grade cameras. So he would say, "Go buy me one," I'd buy it for him.

[Interruption]

SK: So I finally bought one, got me a good German camera, so I brought that one home. Because things were hard to get over there. So GI had lot of excess.

TI: And so the Japanese would -- they'd approach you more easily because you were Japanese American?

SK: Oh, yeah. They were, I never had a hard time with any Japanese people.

TI: And how do you think the U.S. Caucasian soldiers treated the Japanese? Do you think they looked down at the Japanese?

SK: Yeah, some of 'em did. Because I remember riding those trains and stuff, women or something, they would come from the country, they used to load everything on the back, and they'd come in, pushing their load in to get in, because it's always jam-packed. Some of the GIs would go like this and push 'em out, and everything like that. But yeah, most of 'em were okay, but there some guys that, they hated Japanese. And I guess you can't blame 'em, we're at war.

TI: Did that carry over? Did some of the U.S. Caucasian soldiers then look down upon Japanese American soldiers?

SK: Well, I never, I never personally had any experience.

TI: Or how about, do you think you as a Japanese American treated Japanese differently than the Caucasians, then? Did you think the Japanese American soldiers treated the Japanese better because of the common heritage?

SK: You mean the Niseis?

TI: Yeah, the Niseis.

SK: I guess so. I mean, sympathetic. To me, it was, I mean, I never had any problems.

TI: Earlier in the interview, you talked about visiting relatives. You got that double weekend pass. What was their reaction? Did they know that you were in Japan?

SK: Well, like he was saying, most of them said, "Shikata ga nai," it's, can't help it, it's your duty when you're in American army. 'Cause my uncle's sister's husband went in the Japanese army, and he hated Americans, so I didn't hardly talk to him. But my father's side, he was a navy captain, and I talked to him. He sounded, "What are you gonna do? It's war." But you can't say, "I don't want to." So I never had talked to him really long or anything, but he said, "Well, we each had to do what we had to do." Because I didn't realize that the family that we grew up with had a son my same age. And when we were about twelve or so, he had to send one of the sons back to Japan, because he had to take over the family or something. And I found out after the war that he got killed in the Japanese army. And then he said in Japan they had what they called onkyuu. The mother or the father, as long as they live, government give them money. So that they're living over in the United States, she used to get money. I never asked her how much or anything.

TI: Oh, because their son was killed, they get --

SK: In Japan. Instead of like we, if we get killed, we got what, ten thousand dollar or something, issued. But they had some kind of thing that as long as their father or mother is alive, the government would send them money. And she's hundred and four now, and she's still getting money.

TI: Oh, interesting.

SK: And she likes to go to Reno. I mean, now, she can't go because she's in a wheelchair, but they still take her to Indian casino.

TI: Using the Japanese, the money she gets from Japan?

SK: Yeah. She said, "My son is always giving me this money."

<End Segment 26> - Copyright ©2008 Densho and the Watsonville - Santa Cruz JACL. All Rights Reserved.