I left McCloskey General Hospital, Temple, Texas, about 1730, 6 July 1944, and went to Temple, Texas on the city bus. I got on another bus and came out to the Officers Club, Camp Hood, Texas, the colored officers club located on 172nd Street. I arrived there at approximately 1930. I was in the club for some time. While in the club I saw Captain McHenry, Lt. Long, Captain Woodruff, and Captain Wales.
I remained at the Officers Club until approximately two and one-half hours later. At approximately 2200 I got on the bus at the 172nd street and Battalion, I believe just outside the colored officers club. I got on the Camp Hood bus. I entered at the front of the bus and moved toward the rear and saw a colored girl sitting in a seat at the middle of the bus. I sat down beside the girl. I knew this girl before. Her name is Mrs. Jones. I don’t know her first name. She’s an officer’s wife here on the post. I sat down there and we rode approximately five or six blocks on the bus and the bus driver turns around and tells me to move to the rear which I did not do. He tells me that if I don’t move to the rear he will make trouble for me when we get to the bus station, and I told him that was up to him. When he got to the bus station a lady got off the bus before I got off, and she tells me that she is going to prefer charges against me. That was a white lady. And I said that’s all right, too, I don’t care if she prefers charges against me. The bus driver asked me for my identification card. I refused to give it to him. He then went to the dispatcher and told him something. What he told him I don’t know. He then comes back and tells the people that this nigger is making trouble. I told the bus driver to stop fucking with me, so he gets the rest of the men around there and starts blowing his top and someone calls the MP’s. Outside of telling this lady that I didn’t care if she preferred charges against me or not, I don’t know if they were around or not, sir, I was speaking directly to that bus driver, and just as I told the captain (indicating Captain Wigginton, Camp Officer of the Day) if any one of you called me a nigger I would do the same thing, especially from a civilian, a general or anybody else. I mean I would tell them the same thing. I told him, I’m using a “general,” and general, if anybody calls me a nigger, I don’t know the definition of it. That’s just like anyone going around calling you something you don’t know what is. The colored girl was going to Belton, her home, and she got off the same time that I got off. The only time I made any statement was when this fellow called me a nigger. I didn’t have any loud or boisterous conversation. That’s the only profane language I used if you call it profane. (When told by Captain Bear that that was vulgar and vile language Lt. Robinson said: “That’s vulgar is it, that’s vile is it?”) I want to tell you right now sir, this private you got out there, he made a statement. The private over there in that room, I told him that if he, a private, ever called me that name (a nigger) again I would break him in two. (The private referred to was later called to the MP orderly room and identified as being PFC Ben W. Mucklerath, 37061068, Company B, 149th Tng Bn, 90th Regt, IRTC, Camp Hood, Texas.)