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Tragedy hits
442nd Regiment
Thomas Sakamoto and
By Gregg K. Kakesako
Eiro Yamada, both 77, die
after being hit by the same car
Star-BulletinTwo comrades until the end -- Thomas Sakamoto and Eiro Yamada -- died this weekend after being struck by a car following a luncheon honoring veterans of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
The two men, both members of the 442nd RCT, were hit Saturday afternoon by a car driven by another veteran that was backing out of a parking stall at the Sheraton-Waikiki Hotel parking garage.
Yamada and Sakamoto both graduated from Farrington High School in 1941, enlisted in 1943 when the call went out for the formation of the all-nisei Army unit, and later lived near each other in Kaneohe.
"They were pretty close," said elder son Russell Yamada.
"They liked to sit together and talk story. They were good friends with each other's kids. ... They always put others first before themselves."
The two men got together Friday to take flowers from Sakamoto's Kaneohe farm to be placed on the headstones of Yamada's father and grandmother in Nuuanu Memorial Park. Mary Sakamoto said her husband was looking forward to Saturday's Army reunion with Yamada.
"He was so happy because he was going to be with his buddies and Yama," she said. "He always looked forward to these reunions."
Sakamoto's other passion was farming.
His wife said her husband ran one of the first television repair businesses in Kaneohe -- Sakamoto TV Sales and Service -- until his mother died.
"He took over his parents' farm," added Mary Sakamoto, and "really loved growing things. He was so fussy about his flowers. ... He was such a big-hearted guy who was so kind."
Sakamoto first tried raising ti leaves, avocados and then bananas on his 4-acre farm, his wife said, and then finally settled on growing and selling flowers.
Sakamoto had only suffered minor injuries in the car accident, and Mary Sakamoto said she had spent time Saturday visiting Yamada and his family at Queen's Hospital before returning to be by her husband, who was recuperating a few floors away.
A Toyota Camry, driven by a 78-year-old 442nd veteran, was backing up at about 3 p.m. when it struck both men and then ran into a parked car.
Yamada, 77, of Kaneohe, was pinned between the Camry and the parked car and received serious head injuries, police said. He was taken to Queen's Hospital in critical condition, and died about 10:30 p.m. Saturday.
Sakamoto, 77, also of Kaneohe, was taken to Queen's in good condition. But his condition worsened to critical, and he died at about 3:15 p.m. yesterday.
Russell Yamada said his parents also were looking forward to a trip to Japan, which was supposed to begin Thursday, and were happy that Saturday's reunion did not conflict with the visit.
Yamada lost a leg in an industrial accident in 1968, his son said, and that led to his involvement in the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, where he had been a director. He also was a member of Civitan International and had served as its state governor and chapter president for several years.
Yamada owned and operated Pay-n-Pac Hawaii -- a plywood and lumber business in Kaneohe -- from 1962 to 1980, when he joined Yamasaki Building and Supply.
Both victims belonged to the 442nd RCT's 3rd Battalion. Yamada had been sergeant in L Company, while Sakamoto had been the leader of the M Company's machine-gun and heavy-mortars platoon.
But friends said that Yamada attended most of the reunions held by M Company, the last being this year's New Year celebration.
Besides his wife, Alice, Yamada is survived by sons Russell and Ronald and daughter Susan Scott.
Sakamoto's survivors include wife Mary, daughter Danielle Maeda and three sons: Garrett, Donald and Curtis.
