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Husband George in the 442nd Battalion

George was in Camp Cordon...uh Gordon, he was in the service.

I*: Did he volunteer or was he drafted or what happened?

Drafted and a lot of the boys were sent to Italy, 442.

I: Was he in the 442?

Yeah. They had to go to San Francisco and that's where they ship them to different areas of the camp and then his older brother Masato he was shipped to Italy, Mila,n Italy and he stayed there for about 3 years and that's where all the 442 were evacuated I mean shipped.

I: Do you know where he went…what was he doing in the 442? Do you know?

I think he had bad legs so he wasn't shipped overseas and so he worked in the office.

I: Here in the states?

In Camp Gordon, that's the east coast, Georgia, I think.

I: How long was he in the service?

About 3 years and then he relocated to Long Beach where his family was.

* "I" indicates an interviewer (Akira Boch)


442nd Regimental Combat Team Camp Gordon Georgia Italy Milan United States United States Army World War II World War II camps

Date: June 1, 2018

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Akira Boch

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Miko Kaihara was born in Montebello, California on December 20, 1924. She was incarcerated in Poston, Arizona during World War II along with her family. She married her friend's brother George, a member of the 442nd, after the war and raised 4 boys. She worked as a domestic, seamstress, and at 50 years old took a course in cosmetology to become a hairdresser. She retired after 37 years of hairdressing. (December 2018)

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