National Veterans Network

“Sgt. Henry Yoshio Nakamura was highly respected by his men as a soldier as well as a man for his courage and fighting heart.”
- Captain Katsumi Kometani, 100th Infantry Battalion

We close our series for AAPIH month by highlighting the service of Sgt. Henry “Hank” Yoshio Nakamura, a squad leader and original member of the 100th Infantry Battalion, Company C, who volunteered for a dangerous patrol and went missing in action.

Hank Nakamura was born in 1916 in Honolulu, Hawaii, the youngest of five boys. He began to box as a teenager, and in 1935, he moved to Los Angeles, California, with plans to turn pro. Nakamura boxed for five years, fighting in over 100 matches as an amateur and professional boxer. He had never been knocked out.

In 1941, Nakamura returned home to Hawaii after receiving his draft notice and was inducted into the U.S. Army. During basic training, the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan. Nakamura, a member of the Hawaii National Guard, was immediately assigned to defend the island of Oahu from further attacks.

On June 5, 1942, Nakamura was among 1,432 soldiers that sailed from Hawaii to California. Primarily composed of Americans of Japanese ancestry, the unit was named the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), and trained at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, and Camp Shelby, Mississippi, for over a year.

On September 29, 1943, Nakamura entered the Naples-Foggia Campaign in Italy, where he skillfully led his squad from battle to battle. In January 1944, during the Battle for Monte Cassino, Nakamura volunteered for a dangerous combat patrol. The group was ambushed by the enemy. After he failed to return, Nakamura was initially reported as missing in action. Months later, he was declared killed in action. He was 28 years old.

In January 1945, Nakamura’s mother, Nikiye, accepted his posthumously awarded Bronze Star medal for heroic achievement in action between September 28 and November 27, 1943.

“Hank was a great soldier. The whole battalion mourned his death. You don’t make ‘em any better than Hank. He made a vow before we got into action over there that he’d never be taken a prisoner. He died – a fighter to the end.”
- Richard Chinen, 100th Infantry Battalion veteran

Photos courtesy of the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans Education Center. For more information about the soldiers of the 100th, please visit https://www.100thbattalion.org.

To learn more about American WWII soldiers of Japanese ancestry, please visit us at https://nvnvets.org.

On this Memorial Day, we honor and remember all U.S. military service members who sacrificed their lives while serving their country.

Today we remember the sacrifice of Pfc. Joseph Hisato Kato who served in the 442nd RCT during World War II. He was killed in action on October 16, 1944, during the push to liberate the town of Bruyères, France.

Born in Alameda County, California, Joe Kato enlisted in the U.S. Army on February 6, 1942, two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. His older brother Henry had enlisted the previous year.

In May 1942, after the signing of Executive Order 9066, the family was initially sent to a temporary camp at the Tanforan Racetrack in California and later transferred to Topaz incarceration camp in Utah.

Before being sent overseas, Joe traveled 1,500 miles from Camp Grant and Fort Sheridan, Illinois, to visit his family at Topaz.

In September 1944, Joe arrived in Italy and joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. He was assigned to Company E. When the 442nd RCT reached Marseilles, France, he bought a postcard and wrote to his sister, Kiyo:

Dearest Sis,
Hi Kiyo! Just a card today, but all the thought is still behind these few words.
How are things with you? I’m O.K. so don’t worry. Will write again soon –
Till again, bye.
Brother, Joe

Battle of Bruyères
Joe entered his first day of combat on October 15, 1944. The primary objective of the 442nd RCT was to capture the town of Bruyères, France. Bruyères was at the center of an important network of major roads and a railroad line. The citizens of the town had been under German occupation for four years.

Joe and his company advanced through the mountainous and dense pine forest northwest of Bruyères. It was known to be strongly defended by minefields and well-prepared infantry positions. Enemy resistance increased during the afternoon and the 442nd RCT dug in for the night.

On October 16, Joe and his fellow soldiers jumped off at 8am, moving forward to attack Hill 555. Enemy artillery fire began to rain down on them. Lawson Sakai, Co. E veteran, recalled the first days of the battle: “All of a sudden, we get fire from up in the trees - the Germans were shooting down at us. When [artillery fire] hits a tree, the shell bursts like an umbrella. You're getting hit by not only artillery shell, but the lumber. You take whatever cover you can get, just hoping you don't get hit.”

During the heavy fighting of the day, Joe was killed in action. He was 24 years old.

His family, now living in Tremonton, Utah, received the news via Western Union Telegram.

In 1948, Pfc. Joseph Kato’s remains were sent home and reinterred at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.

We honor and remember the legacy of Joe Kato, an American soldier who exemplified the spirit and service of the Nisei soldiers of World War II.

Photos courtesy of the Joseph Hisato Kato Family.

To learn more about American WWII soldiers of Japanese ancestry, please visit us at https://nvnvets.org.

“Some despair because they think an individual can do nothing, but history has taught us that an individual can change the map of the world.”
- Frank Hachiya, Military Intelligence Service

Today we are sharing the story of Frank Hachiya, a U.S. Army linguist killed in action in the Philippines during World War II. Hachiya is currently featured in “I Am An American: The Nisei Soldier Experience” traveling exhibit in San Francisco, CA.

Born in Hood River, Oregon, Frank Hachiya spent four years in Japan as a teenager and returned to the U.S. fluent in Japanese. After enlisting in the Army in January 1942, he was recruited by the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence Service (MIS) and trained as a translator and interpreter in the war against Japan.

In June 1943, Hachiya visited his father, Junkichi, at the Tule Lake incarceration camp in California, before leaving for overseas duty in the Southwest Pacific Theater. As they parted at the gate, Hachiya assured his father, "Do not worry Dad. I know what my duty is."

Hachiya was assigned to the Joint Intelligence Center, Pacific Ocean Areas (JICPOA), headquartered in Hawaii. In February 1944, U.S. forces took control of the Marshall Islands, ending a long occupation by the Japanese military. Hachiya served on the islands for months, translating Japanese documents and teaching Japanese at the newly built U.S. military base.

In December 1944, Hachiya was on Leyte, in the Philippines. After volunteering to interrogate a Japanese prisoner being held on the front lines, he was shot while returning to his post. Seriously wounded, Hachiya managed to report his findings. He died several days later. He was 24 years old.

Junkichi Hachiya held a memorial service for his son at the Minidoka incarceration camp in Idaho, to which he had been transferred in September 1943. “If only people in this country will recognize the Nisei as 100 percent Americans,” he said, “then my son has not died in vain.”

In 1945, the Silver Star was posthumously awarded to Frank Hachiya for his selfless actions and dedication to service.

“…it seems that overseas is quite definite and I can hardly wait for the time to come.” Frank Hachiya wrote while studying as a linguist. “Although I hate war more than anyone can, I think it is a very good place to test oneself - one is either a man or a mouse - as the saying goes. If I come out I shall know for sure. Furthermore, the sooner the war is over the better, and I would like to know that I had a part in it.”

The “I Am An American” exhibit is currently at the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center at the Presidio of San Francisco, California, through August 31, 2026. Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 12pm – 5pm. To purchase tickets to the MIS Historic Center: https://www.njahs.org/building-640/. For more information, visit njahs.org/iaaa.

Photos Credits:
Hachiya Family
Alameda Japanese American History Project, Densho
B. Shibayama Family Collection

To learn more about American WWII soldiers of Japanese ancestry, please visit us at https://nvnvets.org.

“When the time came for enlistment, I was ready, my faith and loyalty restored, stronger, firmer, and unwavering, I volunteered.”
- George Sawada, medic, 100th Infantry Battalion

Born in Hilo, Hawaii, and raised in Seattle, Washington, Sawada was a post-graduate student studying medicine at the University of Washington when Executive Order 9066 was signed. As a result, Sawada and his family were sent to the Minidoka incarceration camp in Idaho.

“It was a bitter blow to me,” Sawada stated. “I, a citizen, with a brother already serving in the Army, must evacuate.” His father, Shinsaku, was a source of comfort and strength. Sawada told him, “That I have retained my faith through this trying period and emerged what I am, a loyal American citizen, I owe to your understanding.”

In February 1943, the U.S. Army lifted its restrictions on the enlistment of Japanese Americans and sent recruiters to the incarceration camps. Sawada volunteered and encouraged others to join with the belief that it would be proof of their loyalty to the U.S. Several months later, he arrived at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, and began to train with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team as a medic.

In May 1944, after one year of training, the 442nd RCT departed for Italy, where Sawada was assigned to the 100th Infantry Battalion, the same unit to which his younger brother, Fred belonged.

A week later, the 100th/442nd underwent one of its toughest battles of the Italian campaign. Near the town of Castellina, the Germans occupied several hills from which they could easily observe and fire upon advancing U.S. troops. On July 5, 1944, in the thick of battle, a desperate call went out for more litter (stretcher) bearers. Sawada volunteered. As he was helping wounded soldiers, he was shot and killed by a German sniper.

Victor Izui, 442nd RCT medic, recalled the reaction of Sawada’s brother. “After [Fred] heard that his brother was killed, he volunteered for these dangerous missions,” Izui said. “As a Scout, they go way up ahead of the company.”

His family received the devastating news at Minidoka. A memorial service was held at the camp for Sawada and eight other Nisei soldiers, the first from Minidoka that died while serving their country.

“There is an old Japanese or is it a Chinese saying that a man must weep thrice ere his span of life is done,” George Sawada wrote to his father. “I do not know whether this is true or not, but I have already seen you weep twice, once in sorrow and once in joy, and if this is true and it is predestined that you must weep again, then dad, let it be for me - once in glory, for the victory that shall surely be mine. God bless you, Dad, and keep you until this happy day.”

To learn more about American WWII soldiers of Japanese ancestry, please visit us at https://nvnvets.org.

In recognition of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM), we will be sharing the stories of American Nisei soldiers of Japanese ancestry who lost their lives fighting for their country.

The Japanese American National War Memorial Court in Los Angeles, California, is currently highlighted in the “I Am An American: The Nisei Soldier Experience” traveling exhibit. The Memorial Court honors the sacrifice and patriotism of over 1,200 fallen American soldiers of Japanese ancestry whose names are carved on its walls.

Every Memorial Day, the Yonsei Basketball Association participates in the “Spit & Polish” event to clean the KIA walls of World War II, Korean, Vietnam and Iraq/Afghanistan veterans. The event also gives the next generation an opportunity to learn about the service of the KIA soldiers.

In the “I Am An American” exhibit, a photo of Yonsei 26 team members is featured with veterans Yosh Nakamura, 442nd RCT, and Ken Hayashi, Vietnam War, to represent the continuing efforts of the younger generation to preserve their legacy.

The “I Am An American” exhibit is currently at the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center at the Presidio of San Francisco, California, through August 31, 2026. Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 12pm – 5pm. To purchase tickets to the MIS Historic Center: https://www.njahs.org/building-640/. For more information, visit njahs.org/iaaa.

To learn more about American WWII soldiers of Japanese ancestry, please visit us at https://nvnvets.org.

“I am proud of my American citizenship. I have a brother fighting with the infantry somewhere in Italy. Both of us feel we are very fortunate to have this chance to fight for our country.”
- Frances Iritani, Women’s Army Corp

Today we are honored to highlight the service of Pfc. Frances Iritani, Women’s Army Corps (WAC). Iritani’s uniform and diary are featured in “I Am An American: The Nisei Soldier Experience” traveling exhibit at the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center, Presidio of San Francisco, California.

Born in Colorado, Frances Iritani was the daughter of Japanese immigrants, Frank S. and Chitose Iritani. As a teenager, she spent six years as a member of her local 4-H Club, working on various projects that included junior leadership. She believed that one of the traits strengthened by her 4-H experience was “to accept joy of service as a reward.”

In 1942, Iritani had an epiphany: “Dear diary, like a bombshell it came to me that it was my duty to join the WAC…I did all I could to enlist, but was told that girls of my ancestry were not permitted to join.” At the time, Nisei – second-generation Japanese American – women were not accepted into the Corps.

On September 1, 1943, the Women’s Army Corps, formerly the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, became an official part of the U.S. Army. Japanese American women were allowed to enlist, and on November 10, 1943, Iritani became the WAC’s first Nisei soldier. She wrote in her diary, “Was inducted at noon with 29 others and how proud I was!”

Iritani was sent to the WAC Training Center at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, while younger brother Roy trained with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.

After basic training, Iritani was assigned to the Army Air Forces WAC Detachment at Tyndall Field in Florida. She served for nearly one year as a typist and stock record clerk in the training and supply office. Recognized for her pride as an American citizen, she was selected as “WAC of the Week” at Tyndall Field.

In late-1944, Iritani was recommended for training as a translator due to her Japanese language skills. She was sent to the Military Intelligence Service Language School at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, where she trained until the end of the war.

Frances Iritani described her induction into the WAC as “the most outstanding opportunity I ever had. It is a chance to be able to travel, to live and learn, to serve one's country.”

Pfc. Frances Iritani’s uniform and diary are among more than 40 rare artifacts currently on display in the exhibit.

The “I Am An American” traveling exhibit is on an 11-city national tour. It will be in San Francisco through August 31, 2026. Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 12pm – 5pm.

To purchase tickets to the MIS Historic Center: https://www.njahs.org/building-640/. For more information, visit njahs.org/iaaa.

Special thank you to Donna Hutcheson and the Kawano Family.