Detroit evening times., 1945-02-11

was how 60 shoot guns, how 10
fight,
q did YOU volunteer or were
you conScrlptCd?
Al volunteered.
q Why did you volunteer? ?
A-Berause I like army ttfe;
IL makes you feel like "A man.
When You were captured,
how did YOU think you would be
treated?
A-tThe tie above the Jap'S
eye twItChcd three or four
times in rapid succession. lie
didn't say anything Just sat
there with his mouth hung
open, his face a twitChing
blank. Utter repeated the queS-
ton with an additionD
Odd YOU think you would
be tortured on killed?
A-Yes.
@ Has anyone in this camp
hurt you In any way?
A.-No. Everyone has been
kind Plenty Of feed.
Q-Do you think you will be
hurt or killed?
Al don't know. tThe Jap's
tic twitched more violentlyl 1
have asked MPs To let me Kill
myself.
@ Why do you want 10 kill
yourself?
A-BeCause ! am disgraced.
l could never 20 back.
q DO you have a family?
"A mother and sister.
Q-FTlendS? Schoolmates?
A-YeS.
q Wouldn't they understand
and forgive you? (The prisoner
was suddenly a blank again, as
If he didn't know what the
question meant, Utter asked
il again.
Al don't know II they'd
understand. Ii wouldn't make
any difference If they did.
Q-Would you be afraid to
60 home?
Ayes; afraid, ashamed.
OF you were able to escape
back TO your lines. would YOU
fight and try TO kill as hard as
you did before you were cap
tured?
A-Harder.
Q-Why? For what
THE Jap, his tic still twitchinC,
started picking al a big Scab on
his ankle. Once more he didn I
understand the meaning of a
Odd you ever hear or read
much about the United States?
A-NO.
Q-Do you think America is
powerful?
Al don't know.
Q-Do you think America is
right?
Al don't know. Japan is
right.
ONLY JAPAN Is RIGHT
Q-Why do you think Japan
is right? Can't any one possibly
be right but Japan?
A-CTh G prisoner looked
blank again.
Q-Is Japan right because
only Japan has the emperor?
A-CThe Jap's spine snapped
straight and he answered
quickly as if from memoryD
The emperor is God. The en-
perer is God for the whole
world.
Q-When were you last in
Japan?
Al was in Miyasah Dec. 4,
1914.
Odd the people there have
enough 10 eat?
Ayes.
Q-Were they concerned or
scared about the war? ?
A-They were afraid.
Q-Do they think Japan will
win the war?
Avery japanese thinks
that Japan will win the war.
Odd you ever hear of Mid
way, Guadalcanal, Tarawa. Eni-
wetok, Saipan, Hollandia, Moro
tai?
Ayes. They have told us
about them.
Q-Do you know you've been
kicked out of those places and
that now you're being kicked
out OF the Philippines?
Al don't know. All places
so far are just battles. You Il.
maybe win battles. Japan will
win the war. ---..-
Utter got up, sighed, and said:
There's no point talking 10
this one any longer. Let's go
to the next tent"
16 IN ONE TENT
The next tent was larger. There
we're l6 JapS Squatting on the
loor tying palm leaves together
With strands of rattan.
When we came in the prisoners
TODD up Immediately, Utter told
heu1 10 sit down. Then he picked
mt two who could answer for the
,thcrS. One Of them. an infantry
private was very young and frail
OOklng.
The other prisoner was sea-
nan second class.
Utter turned 10 the private first.
Q-Aiter YOU got into the
army were YOU told anything
about the war what YOU were
fighting for and so FORTH
A-TheS told us we were