NikkeiWest--Northern California Japanese American Newspaper

By Bryan M. Yagi—Matsuji “Mutt” Sakumoto passed away on August 19, 2011 at the age of 87. He was born on June 12, 1924, in Waialua, Hawaii on the island of Oahu. He was one of six children born to Sakamatsu and Kito Sakumoto. He was raised on the Waialua Sugar Plantation where his father worked as a carpenter.

As a boy, when he was not in school (English or Japanese),

Mr. Sakumoto could be found at the local gym playing basketball or at the local fishing hole netting crabs. He contended he was one of the first kids to quit Japanese school because he hated it so much. His love for basketball found him as the first sub on his high school varsity team.  He also played in the Japanese American league. He once said, “I don’t want to brag, but I had a pretty good jump shot.”

During the summer months, Mr. Sakumoto helped his family by working on the sugar plantation — cutting cane. A portion of the now defunct sugar plantation can still be seen from the yard of his home which was built on land once belonging to the plantation.

In December of 1941, Mr. Sakumoto was a senior in high school. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, his high school closed for the balance of the school year and so he was unable to graduate. He soon obtained a government job as a mechanic repairing military vehicles. Although he had some experience working on cars after school at a garage in Haleiwa, Mr. Sakumoto said it was mostly “on-the-job training.”

In early 1943, Mr. Sakumoto and several friends volunteered for the U.S. Army when they heard that a Japanese American unit was being formed. The unit would become known as the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Mr. Sakumoto and his fellow volunteers were soon shipped to the Mainland on the ship, Luriline. As he explained, it was a difficult trip as he and almost all the Hawaiian boys were seasick. He related “I would even get seasick on the inter-island boat trips to visit relatives in Kauai.”

The ship docked in San Francisco Bay area and the men were  transported by train to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, for basic training.

Initially, Mr. Sakumoto was assigned to Company B,1st Battalion, but he was later transferred to Company I, 3rd Battalion when sent overseas.  When he was assigned to carry a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) during basic training, he laughed, “I was only 5’2” and that bugger was 5’4” and heavy.” He used two words to describe Camp Shelby — “hot” and “chiggers.” Mr. Sakumoto explained that during the summer months, the men were constantly scratching because of these tiny insects.

After months of training, the 442nd RCT was sent to Italy under the command of General Mark Clark of the 5th Army. There Mr. Sakumoto participated in the Rome-Arno Campaign.  His first experience in battle was near the Italian city of Belvedere.  When his battalion was stalled by the Germans, the more experienced 100th Battalion was sent to assist them.

Mr. Sakumoto soon saw the work of the 100th Battalion, e.g., destroyed German vehicles including tanks and half-tracks with dead enemy soldiers still in their seats.   He thought, “Wow! Is war easy or what?”  His mind was soon changed when artillery shells from the Germans began to rain down on him and his company.

When the 442nd RCT was subsequently sent to France, Mr. Sakumoto gained fame as the first soldier to reach the 1st Battalion of the 141st Texas Regiment – the Lost Battalion.

After battling the Germans in the French villages of Bruyeres, Biffontaine, and Belmont, the 442nd RCT was only given one day of rest before General Dahlquist of the 36th Division called upon the weary 442nd RCT to rescue of a battalion from 141st Texas Regiment that had been surrounded by the enemy in the nearby Vosges Mountains.

Mr. Sakumoto remembered he was resting on the ground after his platoon had “taken a beating,” while trying to break through the German’s line when General Dahlquist and his aide, the son of author Sinclair Lewis, approached. The General said, ”Hey, what are you guys doing here? Don’t let the other guys do all the fighting. Get up and charge!”

“I thought to myself - Charge? Charge where? You can’t see the enemy because the forest is so thick. It was also cold and rainy. It was so miserable.” Nonetheless, he and others moved out into the forest.   Their commanding officer found a transmitting wire and told them to follow it.  After following the wire through the dense forest, Mr. Sakumoto said, “I looked up and saw one guy running from tree-to-tree and then another soldier running from tree-to-tree.  I thought to myself. Hey, these guys must be from that Lost Battalion.” And he was right.

After making contact with the Texans, Mr. Sakumoto was taken to their commanding officer.  He lit up a cigarette and soon noticed everyone staring at him. He asked if they (the survivors of the Lost Battalion) would like cigarettes.  He pointed to his field pack on his back.  The men went into his mess kit and took all three of his packages of cigarettes.

While fighting in the Vosges, Mr. Sakumoto had contracted “trench foot” — a serious condition in which the foot become infected and swollen from the wet and cold conditions. While the rest of the regiment continued battling the Germans, Mr. Sakumoto was sent to various field hospitals and was eventually returned to the United States to recuperate. Both of his feet were affected.

Upon his discharge, Mr. Sakumoto returned home to Waialua, Hawaii.  He was able to return to his job as a mechanic and made a career of this position with the federal government.  Later he was sent overseas to Vietnam, South Korea and Okinawa to work. He retired in the early 1990s.

Throughout his life, Mr. Sakumoto remained a humble man. He never sought publicity or fortune for being the first man to reach the Lost Battalion. For those of us who knew him well, he was also a kind and giving person.

He is survived by his wife Ayako whom he gave much praise and credit for raising their two sons while he was working overseas.  He is also survived by his sons Glenn and Gary and their wives Linda Nakashima and Kimiye Sakumoto, respectively, as well as grandchildren Marlo (Todd Oya), Lenn, and Meriann and great grandson Daniel.

JA Living Legacy oral historian Bryan Yagi is a retired administrative judge from San Francisco.