<Begin Segment 6>

RP: So what was basic training like for you?

RD: [Laughs] It was quite an experience. Seemed like I had to keep taking it over. When I was in Florence, Arizona, we took basic training there. And we had a sergeant there that was of German descent, and he would say, "When I say, 'Fall out, I mean, A-O-U-T, fall out.'" And then they get there one these times and, "All you guys with college educations, step forward, high school educations one step forward," and so, and I'm back there and he says, "All right, you smart guys go around here and show these poor dumb guys how to pick up stuff so they can learn." So it was kind of funny that way. But it was, it wasn't too much. Then I, well, I went to Manzanar there and I think I got to take basic training again. And somehow or other my records kept getting lost, and when I got to the infantry, I had to take basic training again. But it was a shorter course, it only lasted a couple weeks or so, I guess.

RP: I know you didn't have much choice, but how did you take to the authority of the military organization? You said that you were a kid who kind of was --

RD: Well, I was in the... like I was one of the MPs, I was around with all these other guys that I didn't get along with the sergeant too well. And we always had what they called a... see, we always got a six-hour pass, so it was not very much, we could go anyplace or anything. But we had what we called a class-B uniform, which was, instead of a blouse, we had a jacket -- I mean, not a jacket but a blazer-like deal. And that's a class-B uniform. And the captain told me that I couldn't go to town because I didn't have my class-A uniform. So I said, "Okay," but I went to town anyway. And usually we used to take off, go down to Independence, and the captain stayed down there and the CQ stayed down there. He always came before the captain, we hitched a ride back with him. But that morning, the CQ was late and the captain picked me up. So we were driving along there, we were talking, and he said, "You're a little late, aren't you?" And I said, "Yes, sir. Got fooling around down there, we fell asleep down there," of course, that wasn't true. And then he got to remember, he forgot, says, "I told you you couldn't go to town." So then I had a summary court martial. They fined me... they gave me seven days hard labor and seven days restriction for being AWOL, and then twenty days hard labor, twenty days restriction and a twenty-five dollar fine for refusing a strict order from the company commander. He had me out digging a ditch there, straightening the ditch out in the snow in January, February.

RP: We'll talk a little bit more about that when we get to Manzanar.

RD: Okay.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2009 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.