<Begin Segment 13>

SG: At that time, you heard that Pearl Harbor was bombed, did you know where it was located?

GA: Where Pearl Harbor was? Oh yeah, yeah.

SG: So you're aware of what it meant when Pearl Harbor was bombed?

GA: Oh, yeah. It was the very center of activities in Hawaii and the base, big naval base, I had heard that.

SG: Do you remember some of the conversations you had with your Japanese American army buddies at that time?

GA: I wasn't in association with them. I knew they were there, but I never talked to them.

SG: Even though they were on the same post, you didn't talk to them?

GA: No.

SG: Did other people in your unit give you, did how they treated change after Pearl Harbor?

GA: They changed my attitude you say?

SG: Well, did the people in your unit treat you differently after Pearl Harbor?

GA: No, no, no, the same, no difference as I recall.

SG: And so after they transferred you into the reserves, what was your, what were you responsible for at that time?

GA: Well, I was a, this CO of mine was a nut on statistics, so he had me doing all kinds of statistical work. That's all I did for him in the office, nothing to do with guns or anything.

SG: Did you enjoy math?

GA: Oh, yeah, I enjoyed it, yeah.

[Interruption]

SG: Where were you stationed at this time?

GA: At Fort McDowell.

SG: So they kept you on the West Coast?

GA: Yeah.

SG: Do you know why they would, why they would leave you on the West Coast even though you were Japanese Americans, or you're Japanese American?

GA: Well, I don't think they took much action in the first part of the war. War started in December 7. They took my action with me in February. And as I say, I was released, and some of my, after I got home, I learned that many of my Japanese American friends were being transferred to inland posts, but I was released all because of, just because I was Japanese American.

SG: So some Japanese Americans were released from the military?

GA: Yes.

SG: And some continued to stay --

GA: And transferred to inland posts.

SG: How did you feel when you were released?

GA: I felt very bad, very bad. In fact, I even got a letter from the commanding officer saying that it was because I was of Japanese ancestry that I was released and that he would take me back if this policy was ever changed.

SG: So if you had your way, you would have wanted to stay?

GA: Oh, yeah, yeah.

SG: Why would you want to stay in the army?

GA: Well, just to be patriotic, just to do my duty. As a matter of fact, in February of 1943, the U.S. government started to take volunteers again from Japanese Americans, so I wrote to the War Department because I was in the reserves. I didn't know whether I would be retaken again. And I said that if I'm going to be retaken, I'd like to go now to be with my friends who are volunteering, and the War Department's response was they had discharge paper for me, no explanation, just a discharge paper, honorable discharge.

SG: That's strange. Do you know how they decided who was staying in?

GA: I have no idea.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2003 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.