Interview by Daniel Jackson and Richard Hakanson. Translated by Wiyada Kantarod. December 8, 2018.

What can you remember the day the plane crashed?

It was daytime like this, the explosion was so loud that it made the buffalos frightened and they broke the ropes in their noses. Lots of big pieces of the plane were scattered around the crash site. Some villagers picked up some debris [and took it] back home, but they had to return them when my father, the village headman, investigated them.

What did people do to the pilot’s body? Did they bury it in a Christian church or burn it in a temple?

The rest of the body was ruined, except his torso had been left and was buried exactly where the plane crashed in the rice paddy. My son saw the crash site. After that he was obsessed with the aircraft, so he’s called “kreung” which means aircraft. That son died a long time ago before me. I am now 96 years old.

Was it a rice paddy at the time?

No, it was where farmers sow the seeds. After the seeds grow bigger, farmers moved them to grow somewhere. Nowadays it is a rice paddy.

How did people move pieces of plane wreckage?

Carts. They used carts.

Were they hand carts or ox carts?

They used cows, but the sheriff [of Sop Prap] came to take them away by two trucks.

Were there any others who saw the crash?

My friends my age are all dead. There is nobody else. I am older than others in the village. They came to our village after the plane had crashed.

Did you see Japanese soldiers in the village?

Yes, I saw many of them after the plane crashed. They rode horses. Some went to stay in Sob Prab. Some stayed overnight in the area, in the rice paddy. They scattered around. Nobody can tell what happened. They all died. There is nobody else, no men, no women my age left.

Do you think that they [the Japanese] came to look at the plane or were they just passing through?

I don’t know if they fought with anyone. You know, I went to the temple in Chiang Mai to meditate. One day an Indian man was in an accident. I helped massage him. He liked it a lot, so he arranged for me to go do massage in the United States. I had stayed in America in the Temple called Burley for many years. I went to Mexico as well. See I bought these from Mexico [motioning to bracelets]. I bought them from Mexico.

Did the Japanese buy anything from the villagers?

Yes, they asked to buy papayas and bananas, but I just gave them – I didn’t take their money.

Why didn’t you charge them any money?

I just wanted to be kind to them. They were away from home.

Did they ask for coconut?

No, they didn’t ask for coconut. They asked for papaya and bananas and I just gave to them without charging. As I am the daughter of the village headman, I am kind to visitors.

Were you afraid of the soldiers?

No.

Why weren’t you afraid of them?

They were visitors. I was a host. I even helped massage their legs. I was also a midwife, better than anyone else! I could tell the positions of body parts by feeling them. As I was the best of all, I was trained to be a perfect midwife at the local hospital. Before you arrived, I was not sleeping; I was spinning wool.

Who helped bring all the wreckage here?

My father, my brothers, my husband who helped every day, and the villagers.

When the sheriff came, did he come with a cart or a truck?

Two trucks. The sheriff helped get pieces that were stolen there because he was investigating. Nobody could keep any pieces.

Did you live here in this house during the war?

Yes, but it was smaller than this one. I used to be beautiful before. Two Army men asked me to marry them, but my mom begged me not to marry them. I didn’t know why.

You said the body was buried at the crash site; Was that the locals, her father and his sons, that buried the body?

They did. We used fire wood to burn. They all agreed that it is nice that they buried him there where the plane crashed. Exactly there. Many people from many different villages came to have a look. Some people picked up some coins on the site. I took my sons with me, including Mun, who died later. I had eight sons. Four of them died. No daughters. I gave birth to them all and tied umbilical cords for them myself.

Why did you take your sons to the crash site?

They wanted to follow their father and grandfather.

Before it crashed, did she hear the sound of the plane?

Yes, very loud. The buffalo broke the rope that tied their noses.

Did she hear an explosion and see smoke?

Yes, up in the sky, I saw smoke. Most of the villagers were afraid to go there. Just my father and son.

There were two pilots [sic], one is now 96 the other is 98. They didn’t know what happened to him until recently. They really appreciate your help to find out what happened to their comrade.

It rained after the crash. Maybe the rain helped stop the fire… somebody still went there even if it was raining. It was not east to reach that area.

Did you take him to the crash site? [motioning at her son]

Yes, but he was very young.

Long live you all, no sickness, full of happiness.