American Valor Quarterly Issue 2 - Spring 2008 | Page 20

Hawaii and classmates with many of the men in the 442nd. They
held him in the highest respect. After we were hit, I became so
engaged in what we were doing that despite the shells, mortars,
and machine gun fire coming in, I was no longer scared. I was
too busy, and in combat, you learn to obey orders and push
forward.
I was a medic. And whenever I heard that word yelled I would
run forward and flash my Red Cross flag. The Germans respected
that and did not shoot me there in Italy. It seems like we fought
on hill after hill, constantly, taking casualties along the way. I mainly
worked to stop the bleeding, put on a tourniquet or bandage,
and stabilize them for the squad to take them away.

tried to cross the meadow in the valley to get to the hill, the
machine guns and mortars would start on us. We realized that to
take the hill, we would need to go around it, at night, to take it
from behind.
We marched all night, holding on to each others’ backpacks so
we didn’t get lost in the dark. At dawn, we started the attack.
Now, we had the Germans surprised, and my unit was able to
take their machine guns out. The others took the mortars out. I
was in a foxhole while Kelly was attending one of the wounded
soldiers when he got a “German haircut.” The bullet hit and spun
around in his helmet before dropping down—one inch more
and he wouldn’t be with us here today.

U.S. Army Photo

In combat, it’s a day to day proposition. You live from day to
day and minute to minute, and you’re scared every time you head
up to the front line. But once you’re in combat, you’re too busy.
The need to constantly move swallows you up. For me, it was the
need to give the wounded as much comfort as possible.

I had a Thompson submachine gun I had taken from a disabled
tank, which I just fired until I ran out of ammunition. I was down
in my foxhole, filling up my clips, when the Germans went and
took the hill back from us. I told the others to watch out for the
incoming fire, when one of my buddies stood up and got shot. I
crawled over and picked him up, and he died in my arms. I just
Terry Shima: George Joe Sakato was awarded the Medal of lost it then, and picked up the Thompson and charged the hill.
Honor for his actions in France, going beyond the call of duty. In
late 1944, the 442 nd attacked the Germans near the town of We captured a great many prisoners there, before heading back
Biffontaine, near the German border. Its objective was to take to camp. A few days later, the 442nd was sent to rescue the Lost
Hill 617, which was held by the enemy and overlooked the railroad Battalion—a battalion from the 141st Infantry Regiment from
line from Strasbourg to Paris. George, you led an assault on the Texas—that had been surrounded by the Germans. There were
hill that day, which was responsible for its capture, killing seven 280 men in that battalion. Over 800 of our men in the 442nd
and capturing over 30. What led you to undertake such an action? were killed or wounded in the rescue attempt of these 280, over
half of our roster. I had been wounded before the rescue. I
George Joe Sakato: When I volunteered for service, I had no Company returned with 12 men standing, and K Company had
idea what I was getting into. I remember early in battle, with the 17. When it came time for the review of the troops, only a handful
explosions all around, I couldn’t tell what was incoming and what appeared. Commanding General Maj. General John E. Dahlquist
was
outgoing. I remember at one point hearing an asked where the rest of the troops were, and our colonel, Lt.
incoming shell, which exploded near me, Col. Virgil Miller, said, “This is all there is!”
knocking me ten feet from where I was
standing. I picked myself up, and I was in the hospital for nine months before returning to duty.
patted myself down to make sure Fifty-two years later, President Clinton gave me this Medal of
I was alright, and I noticed the Honor. That is my story.
fellow n ^