Tadayoshi Hamasaki

D Company

Tadayoshi Hamasaki was born in Kipahulu, Maui. His family lived in several different places on Maui – Waihee, Waikapu, Lahaina, and Wailuku. The fourth of eight children, Hamasaki had to quit school after the 8th grade to help his family. After the war, he went back to school and earned his GED.

An original member of the 100th (D Company), he was inducted into the Hawaii National Guard on March 25, 1941. His youngest brother, Kazuichi, later joined the 442nd. In Italy, Hamasaki was severely injured by a bomb blast which threw him across the room. He was in a body cast for six months. While recuperating in a Battle Creek, Michigan hospital, he met his future wife Mary through a friend.

When he was young, Hamasaki played softball. After the war, he continued to play softball on Maui in the “old man’s league.” He also enjoyed fishing, especially for ulua, was considered a “jack of all trades” and had a green thumb.

Hamasaki was a very quiet and kind man who took good care of his family. He played mahjong on Sundays, but always took his family to eat saimin for lunch and then returned to continue playing. His friends called him Taddy and knew he was always willing to help them out.

His wife Mary called him Ted and nursed him as he endured severe medical problems during the last seven years of his life.

Read the newpaper article by Ben Tamashiro, Mary Hamasaki: Unbreakable Spirit.