Vietnam: Being of Japanese descent, how were you accepted by the Vietnamese?

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Sasaki: I did have some experiences that led me to believe that I was not as safe as the Caucasian Americans there. For example, when I would be in the mess hall, the Vietnamese working there knew I was Japanese and pointed at me saying, 'You Japanese!' And I tried to tell them I was an American. They didn't say it in a friendly way. I knew the Japanese army during World War II had raped and pillaged through Vietnam, and they identified me as being different from the ordinary GI. Also, it worked in reverse. One Sunday I went to the Navy PX (post exchange). I was alone and I walked in and nobody was there. It was a small PX. So, I shopped around, and when I finished I began looking for a cashier so I could pay for these items. I went outside and this individual who ran the PX saw me and thought I was a Vietnamese stealing these things. He whips out his pistol and points it at me! I could've been shot! I didn't feel secure. I had to be careful.

Vietnam: Was your unit ever under enemy fire?

Sasaki: Yes, but they weren't aiming at us. They were trying to hit the Navy camp or the airstrip. The rounds would come from Marble Mountain, and some shells hit close by. Luckily, we didn't get any direct hits. We received a ground attack from the beach once. We knew something was up because we watched the German hospital ship move out to sea. They always had inside information. And when they got word of a possible attack they moved farther offshore. Some sampans landed on the beach, and we heard some shots fired. We heard later that our unit called for Army units to assist us and they didn't respond. The Marines came instead and drove the VC off. One of our corpsmen got shot during this attack — he was on guard duty at the gate — but his wound wasn't serious.

Vietnam: How many patients did the 95th treat, say, in a week's time, or a month's time?

Sasaki: It was pretty uneven and sporadic. I personally would see 50 or 60 patients a day in our outpatient service. It was also the time President Nixon announced his troop withdrawals, so any person with a serious enough ailment would be sent out of country to further reduce the number of men in Vietnam.

Vietnam: Did you ever participate in any Medical Civilian Action Patrols (MEDCAPs)?

Sasaki: No. However, we regularly went over to the Vietnamese Provincial Hospital nearby. We found it easier if they just came to the hospital.

Vietnam: Did quite a few Vietnamese take advantage of the hospital?

Sasaki: Yes, and I'd say about half of them were children.

Vietnam: What would you consider your most unusual or most difficult case in Vietnam?

Sasaki: There were several that stick in my mind. One involved a medic on a medevac chopper. He was part of a battalion aid station, and he went out to pick up some wounded. As the chopper was lifting off, he looked out and was shot in the throat. He couldn't talk because the bullet went through his neck. His buddy started an IV on him and just loaded him up with fluids. When he came in, they had given him so much fluid that it was backed up in his heart and didn't have any place to go and was seeping into his lungs. So, when he was brought in, he was frothing at the mouth and couldn't breathe. At any rate, I repaired his larynx, and he was sent off to Japan. I later heard he went to the Philippines, where I lost track of him. I would like to know what became of him.

Vietnam: And the other?

Sasaki: There was a Vietnamese child about 2 or 3 years of age who was suffering from a case of malnutrition that caused the tissues of the face to become gangrenous and fall off. He was my patient. About 3:00 in the morning, a corpsman woke me up and said the head nurse wanted to see me right away because they found a snake in bed with this child! I ran to the hospital and found, not a snake, but a large worm! It was about a foot or so in length! What made this even more bizarre was the fact it had crawled out of the child's rectum! That I will never forget.

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