They asked if anybody knew how to draw, so I raised my hand, I can do something. So all the noncommissioned officers has a, where they all have a meeting place where they have drinks and whatever. They wanted me to paint horses, horses and things on the wall, so I said okay. So I painted, that's what I did. So I didn't have to march or do anything, I'd just go straight to their room and paint every day.
they wanted somebody to paint signs. So nobody [everyone] was hurrying around…I painted sign, I put numbers, and all these stations, shoot or they'd throw grenades or whatever, while they were doing that, I'm painting, I’m not doing anything. So the art and the basketball really helped me.
George Kazuharu Naganuma was born in Lima, Peru to his Issei parents in 1938. His family were forced to board a ship, to be incarcerated at Crystal City, Texas, during World War II. They remained there even after the war had ended, without a place to go. They were able to leave via a sponsorship by a reverend in San Francisco, California, where they were able to find jobs and housing. George joined the Boy Scouts in San Francisco and was able to visit Japan with his troop. He joined the U.S. Army and worked as a clerical typist. (June 2020)