George Sakato facts for kids
- In this Japanese name, the family name is Sakato.
George Taro Sakato (February 19, 1921 – December 2, 2015) was a United States Army soldier. He received the Medal of Honor because of his actions in World War II.
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Early life
Sakato was born in Colton, California. His parents were immigrants from Japan. He was a Nisei, which means that he was a second generation Japanese-American. He graduated from Redlands High School in Redlands, California.
The Sakato family moved to Arizona during World War II to avoid internment.
Soldier
Sakato joined the US Army in March 1944.
He volunteered to be part of the all-Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team. This army unit was mostly made up of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland.
For his actions in October 1944, Sakato was awarded the Army's second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). In the 1990s, there was a review of service records of Asian Americans who received the DSC during World War II. Sakato's award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. In a ceremony at the White House on June 21, 2000, he was presented with his medal by President Bill Clinton. Twenty-one other Asian Americans also received the medal during the ceremony, but only seven of them were still alive.
Death
Sakato died in Denver, Colorado on December 2, 2015 at the age of 94.
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