HONOLULU (KHON2) — A veteran Nisei soldier who bravely fought in World War II, while many family and friends were stuck in Japanese internment camps, just turned 100 years old.
It’s a century full of legacy. Robert Sato and his late wife, Amy, spent over 70 years together, having four children, four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
After graduating from Farrington High School, Mr. Sato joined the military to fight in World War II, part of the famed Nisei soldiers.
“Back in the early 1940s, he heard the call, and like many soldiers, he was chosen to serve under the Military Intelligence Service because he could read and speak Japanese. His role during WWII with the MIS unit was to serve as a translator,” explained Czarina Tabilas-Palmeira, Maunalani Nursing & Rehabilitation Center.
Translators were crucial to the Pacific Theatre of the war, breaking Japanese codes that led to massive wins like the famed Battle of the Midway in the northwest Hawaiian islands.
With fewer and fewer WWII veterans with us as time passes, two of Mr. Sato’s friends and fellow veterans from the war joined to wish him a Happy Birthday — Dr. Takashi Manago from the 100th Infantry Division and Willy Toda from MIS.
“They’re just very thankful for his service and I heard him thanking them for their service as well, so I think that it’s just a really nice culture of respect that they have in the military community,” said Jeffrey Takiguchi, Robert Sato’s grandson.
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“There aren’t that many Nisei veterans that are out in the community that are still active. So for the three of them to really bond in recent times and recent years, it’s very meaningful because it also keeps them in check with each other to stay healthy for each other, to have that bond with each other,” Tabilas-Palmeira said.