Sexo

Male

Birth date

1918-10-1

Local de nascimento

Arcadia CA, U.S.A.

Inducted

1942-11-22, Gila River Relocation Ctr AZ

Tipo de alistamento

Volunteer

Ramo das Forças Armadas

Army

Tipo de serviço

War

Tipo de Unidade

Support

Unidades onde serviu

U.S. Observer Group (in Communist China)

U.S. Advisory Group (postwar)(in Taiwan)

Dixie Mission

Military specialty

Military Intelligence
Interrogator, translator

Stationed

USA: Camp Savage, MN
Other Countries: India; Nationalist China; Communist China

Separated

Ft. MacArthur CA

Unit responsibility

Interrogation of Japanese POWs held by the Chinese Communists. Translating Japanese military documents captured by the Chinese Communists.

Personal responsibility

Same as unit responsibility.

Awards, medals, citations (individual or unit)

Bronze Star Medal - awarded for meritorious service during the period, Sept 1944 - Aug. 15, 1945, for collecting pertinent military intelligence in North China.

Living conditions

The Chinese Communists, under Mao Tse-tung's leadership, provided us (U.S. Observer Group, better known by its nickname, 'The Dixie Mission') with a newly built compound, which included an assembly hall, that also served as our mess hall, a weather building, an office building, a motor pool area, and sleeping quarters, which were caves dug into sides of the hill. We bathed in a building which was a combination of a latrine and communal bath, comparable to a 'nihon buro'. As for our meals, we dined like kings. Hsieh, who was formerly the head chef of a popular Hong Kong restaurant, was in charge of our kitchen and he provided us with unbelievable meals. All our needs were taken care of in a fabulous manner indeed.

Our principal entertainment was on Saturday nights. We went a short distant across the Yen River from our compound to Mao's headquarters, where he hosted our weekly dance parties. Our dance partners were the young students from their (the communists) English school. So these dances provided a wonderful opportunity to practice their English, conversing to all of us of the Dixie Mission.

We were sent a supply of soft balls and soft ball bats. And, believe it or not, we had ball games with the Japanese prisoners of war. Although they never played soft ball before, the POWs soon learned and provided great competition in these games which we played in a make-shift diamond we laid out in the dry river bed.

Most vivid memory of military experience

I don't remember precisely what the occasion was but we had all the Communist big-wigs (Chairman Mao, Vice Chairman Chou En-Lai, General Chu Teh, Chief-of-Staff Yeh Chien-ying, et al) over for a banquet and I believe it was about the time of our huge naval victory at Midway. It was during the socializing following the banquet that our naval officer (the Dixie Mission was composed of officers and men from all the services, not to mention the under-secretaries from the State Department) (quite a talented group, if I do say so myself), lifted his glass and made this toast, 'Here's to the Japanese Navy. Bottoms up!' There were looks of shock and disbelief on the faces of our guests; that anyone among us would congatulate the Japanese Navy. When the play on words, 'bottoms up' was explained to them, they spent rest of the evening repeating the toast.

Missed most whilst in the military

I volunteered for service from a relocation camp in Nov. 1942 and I was quite concerned about the welfare of my parents who were left behind. It was about this time that Japan was swooping through Southeast Asia, piling up victory after victory.

It was then that I learned that my parents were being subjected to all sort of slurs and insults from die-hard supporters of Japan. Remarks to the effect that their son and the other MIS (Military Intelligence Service) volunteers were 'inu' (dogs), traitors, spies and other despicable names. It's the fact that we were away and unable to defend our parents from this type of cruelty from their fellow internees that I missed most. It was difficult to understand their thinking.

Most important thing, personally, to come from military experience?

I imagine the most natural thing to say in this instance is that we volunteered for military service to prove that we were loyal Americans, willing to sacrifice our lives for our country. But to me that was a 'given'. How could we do otherwise? What remains with me is the wonderful camaraderie that developed in my military service. I became friends with guys who I would not have met otherwise. These are fellows with whom I studied, trained, laughed, cried, slept, bitched and moaned together. Friendships which have lasted a lifetime. It's truly been great!