Author: unknown
Hawaii Army Weekly, 7/21/1967
Puka Puka Parades, June 1967, vol. 20 no. 5
Article quoted from the Hawaii Army Weekly about Sakae Takahashi earning the Legion of Merit.
The Hawaii Army Weekly is published by the Army at Schofield Barracks. In its July 21st issue, it carried the following front page story which we quote in full:
“COL Sakae Takahashi, one of the last members of the original “Go For Broke” fighting unit of World War II fame to remain active in the U.S. Army Reserve, was presented the Legion of Merit upon his military retirement recently.
He received the award for exceptionally mer itorious service from GEN Dwight E. Beach, Commander in Chief, U.S. Army, Pacific at presentation and farewell ceremonies held at Ft. Shafter.
The Legion of Merit citation credits Colonel Takahashi for “Inaugurating exhaustive training pro grams, studies and projects designed to profes sionally perfect the members of his headquarters for their mobilization assignments in an Indepen dent Corps Headquarters functioning under varied field conditions, geographical locations and en vironments.
“His decisive leadership, unflagging personal pro fessional devotion and ceaseless efforts enabled him to obtain optimum results and a most enviable reputation for his headquarters with associated United States and Southeast Asia Treaty Organi zation member nations in foreign areas of deploy ment as well as the local community.”
Colonel Takahashi has commanded, the Head quarters, DC Corps (Augmentation), an Army Re serve unit, since April 1963. He led the unit on three SEATO exercises held in Thailand.
Commissioned in the Army Reserve upon gradua tion from the University of Hawaii in 1941, he volunteered for active duty the day after the Pearl Harbor attack. He volunteered for duty with the 100th Battalion when it was organized in May 1942 and left soon after with the unit when it went to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin.
During the battle of Anzio in June 1943 he received the first of two serious combat wounds. He re joined the 100th Battalion in France as the com mander of “B” Company and led it through most of its major combat action in Europe.
Colonel Takahashi’s company assaulted and took the key hill overlooking the French city of Bruyeres, breaking the back of the main German re sistance in that area. He was severely wounded in this battle and remained hospitalized in France and the continental U.S. for over a year.
In civilian life, Colonel Takahashi is the vice president of the Hawaii State Senate, a director of Aloha Airlines, and vice president of the Central Pacific Bank.”