George T. Sakato, the last survivor of seven Japanese American veterans who received the Medal of Honor -- the nation's highest award for valor -- passed away Wednesday evening in Denver. He was 94.
George Sakato, 94, Dies; Given Medal of Honor Half Century After It Was Denied
Born in Colton, California in 1921, Sakato joined the U.S. Army in 1944 after his family relocated to the Arizona to avoid internment on the west coast. He fought in Europe with the all-Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team, one of the most highly decorated units of World War II.
Private Sakata received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army's second-highest award for bravery, for his actions in a brutal battle in northeast France in October 1944 to rescue more than 200 soldiers from the Texas National Guard who were trapped behind enemy lines, later known as the "Lost Battalion."
