WWII hero on the
verge of late tribute

By Gregg K. Kakesako
Star-Bulletin

It's now up to President Clinton to decide whether the late Lt. Col. Richard Sakakida will be honored for his role as a World War II spy in the Philippines.

Since 1991, Sen. Daniel Akaka has been crusading to get the military to recognize the achievements of Sakakida, who died Jan. 23 of cancer.

At first, Akaka unsuccessfully tried to get congressional approval to award Sakakida the Medal of Honor.

When that attempt failed, Akaka then authored a law that directed the military to review the wartime actions of Sakakida and other Japanese American second-generation soldiers of the Military Intelligence Service -- many of whom never received any recognition for their work as linguists, translators and interpreters in World War II.

In March, Akaka asked the Army to determine whether Sakakida deserved the Distinguished Service medal -- the nation's third highest military award.

Two months later the Army responded by siding with Akaka and requested congressional legislation granting Sakakida a waiver from all time requirements to get the medal.

This week the Senate approved Akaka's provision, which is included in the conference version of the 1999 Department of Defense Authorization bill and sent it to Clinton.

"This is long overdue recognition for a true American hero," Akaka said, "and his amazing wartime service to our nation."

Although Sakakida posthumously was awarded the Purple Heart and the Prisoner of War medal in June, Akaka said that he "has yet to be honored with an official U.S. military decoration for his service in the Philippines."

Sakakida was recruited by the Army military intelligence before the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and worked as an uncover agent in the Philippines. After the Japanese invaded the Philippines, Sakakida was captured and was an interpreter for the Japanese.

In his autobiography, Sakakida said he used that position to aid the allies and Filipino guerrillas, including providing information that led to the escape of 500 Filipino guerrillas in 1944 from a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp.

But his critics have maintained that Sakakida fabricated his role in the escape and provided no assistance to the guerrillas.

Most of the work of the 6,000 Japanese Americans who served in the Military Intelligence Service in the Pacific was classified and very little if any documentation was kept.

Under other provisions of Akaka's law, 20 Japanese Americans who served in the Military Intelligence Service and the Korean War were granted waivers and were recognized for their service with wartime medals last year.