Oral History Videos

George Katagiri
Interview Length: 1:45

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT:
When I was visiting my relatives in the country, where many of them had never seen a GI, you know, the GIs had not been out there.  So long as I wore my cap and my khaki uniform, they knew I was a GI.  And when I walked down the road, they would stand to the side and bow until I'd passed.  I think it's the showing respect to somebody much higher.  And I guess I was the conqueror, so they were showing me that respect.  And at first, I couldn't understand what was going on.  And I had to ask my cousin, “why did he do that?”  He said, “well, because you are a GI, a GI conquering, GI soldier.”  And I said, “that's nice.”  And I thought it was an odd custom.

And then when I walked down the street and passed a group of people that's working in some kind of factory during the lunch hour, they're quite noisy when they're eating lunch.  But the minute I came into view, there was silence.  And you know, without looking at them, I could just tell they were all staring at me, at this American soldier.  And I think they were surprised that, gosh, he looks just like one of us.

And when I walk down the street in town, if I took my cap off, no one would pay any attention to me.  The minute I put the cap on I became an American soldier.