Another hero is lost...

Once again, I am sorry to report that we've lost another hero from I Company, 442nd RCT.  Hank Nakada passed away on March 13th of this year.  I've included a selection of his obituary sent to me from his son, Mike Nakada.  This serves as yet another reminder of the importance of this story.  These men must be remembered for the life they lived!

Henry “Hank” Isao Nakada died peacefully from complications of pneumonia at South Peninsula Hospital in Homer, Alaska on March 13, 2008. He was 85.

Hank was born in Los Angeles, California on October 12, 1922 the fifth of twelve children to Ginzo and Kagi Ikehara Nakada. He graduated from Covina High School in Los Angeles County in 1939 and worked for a time in agriculture before heading by steamship to Seward, Alaska in 1940. He unloaded ships in Seward and worked on the Alaska Railroad before moving to a tarpaper shack in a hobo jungle at 17th & C Streets in Anchorage when the area was still wooded. He worked on Elmendorf Air Force Base until the start World War II in 1941. Forced to leave his job due to his ancestry, he worked at the Snow White Laundry until he was drafted.

Hank began his decorated military service at Fort Richardson and was at the top of his class in Mechanics School at Fort Sheridan near Chicago. He then joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in Camp Shelby, Mississippi and served primarily as a scout for the 1st Platoon of I Company in Italy and France. He received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart with three oakleaf clusters, among other military honors.

After his years in the military, Hank married Mitsu Hasegawa in Philadelphia in 1946. He received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Temple University. They moved to San Diego County, where he was a Research Associate at Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation for nine years. He was a Professor of Biochemistry at UC Santa Barbara, where he retired in 1977. During his tenure at UCSB, he took a two-year sabbatical to manage the Exchange Student Program in Tokyo.

Hank and Mitsu moved to Alaska in 1977 to join their sons in Homer. He was a commercial fisherman in Prince William Sound for several years. After fishing he worked in sales in Anchorage for a time before returning to Homer.

At the time of Hank’s death, he was living at Friendship Terrace in Homer. His glowing smile was a gift to anyone who encountered him.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Mitsu and his siblings Saburo, Hannah, Minoru, Aiko and George. He is survived by his brothers Yoshio, Yoshinao, James, John, and Steve; his sister Grace; his sons Robert and Mike of Homer and Chris of South Point, Hawaii; his grandchildren Jesse, Simone, Genji, Heidi, Mark and Tela and his great-grandchildren Raiden and Aiden.