By the summer of 1944, Nishimoto was on the front lines in Italy. On August 31, near the Arno River, his squad came under heavy enemy fire as they attempted to cross open ground.
On July 4, 1944, beneath the searing Italian sun, while much of America celebrated Independence Day, freedom was being fought for on another front, the hills of Italy.
On November 4, under the same storm of fire, another soldier lay stranded across seventy-five yards of open ground. Okubo did not hesitate. He broke cover, reached the man, stabilized him, and carried him clear.
Surrounded by watchtowers and suspicion, their loyalty to America was doubted simply because of their ancestry. Yet from within the camp, William Nakamura made a choice that defied bitterness: he volunteered for the U.S. Army’s 442nd.
Then came the moment that would define George Sakato’s life. A close friend, fighting at his side, was struck down before his eyes. Grief and fury surged through him, fusing into resolve.
Crawling forward through mud and flying steel, he closed the distance to within 25 yards of an enemy nest. With his submachine gun roaring, he leapt into the trench, killing three German gunners and taking two prisoner.
Masato “Curly” Nakae was born on December 20, 1917, in Haena, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. The son of Japanese immigrant parents, he grew up in a farming family where he learned discipline, humility, and perseverance under the Hawaiian sun.
