442nd veteran of WWII, regiment booster dies at 84

By Valerie J. Nelson
Los Angeles Times

Herbert Sasaki, who dedicated himself to preserving the legacy of the famed Japanese-American military unit he fought with in World War II, has died at 84.

Sasaki died during heart surgery May 13 at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, said his daughter, Beverly Yamamoto.

He served with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which fought in Italy and France from 1944 to 1945 and became the most decorated military unit during World War II. Sasaki would later help spearhead efforts to erect monuments to the regiment in Hawai'i and Washington, D.C., and at Camp Shelby, Miss., where the unit was formed.

"He wanted to make sure that no one would forget that the 442nd fought for freedom at a time when their families were incarcerated — and to prove they were Americans," his daughter said. Sasaki was born and raised in Pomona, Calif.

After earning a Bronze Star in the war, Sasaki settled near Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Miss., returning to Arnice Dyar, whom he had met at the base laundry and married before shipping out in 1943. The Ku Klux Klan reacted to the interracial marriage by burning a cross on her grandparents' yard, Yamamoto said.

After the war, Sasaki worked in the poultry business before serving another four years in the Army and seeing action in the Korean War. He spent the rest of his career years as a broker for the International Paper Co.

Sasaki was active in the 442nd Association, which is made up of veterans of the regiment and provides major funding for the Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby. He served on the museum's board for 12 years.