Sadami Katahara was born on February 19, 1915 in Hamakuapoko, Maui, in the then Territory of Hawaii (T.H.) to Natsu Tamura Katahara and Shigeichi Katahara. Both Shigeichi and Natsu immigrated from Yamaguchi Ken, Japan to Maui where Natsu cared for their family of five while Shigeichi worked as a Ditchman, irrigating the valuable cane fields of Maui. Sadami’s siblings included his brother, Iwao Katahara of Lihue, Kauai and his sisters Fusae Watanabe of Honolulu and Shizue Matsubara of Hamakuapoko and Kahului, Maui.
Sadami’s upbringing was typical for a Maui boy, going to school (most of the time) and finding creative ways to get into trouble. As a young man, Sadami began to develop a passion for radio communications which would drive his career and hobbies later in life. He graduated from Maui High School and then went to Honolulu where he attended the University of Hawaii on an Army ROTC scholarship, graduating in 1937 with a degree in Sugar Technology. After completing college, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lt in the Army Reserves and completed his initial training at Scholfield Barracks in Wahiawa, HI. He then returned to Maui where he dabbled as a Sugar Chemist with the Maui Agricultural Company in Paia, Maui for a few months, quickly realizing that sugar technology was not his calling. He transitioned into radio communications, his passion, and became a Radio Technician for the County of Maui Police Department.
While at the University of Hawaii, Sadami met the love of his life, Itsuko Okano, a school teacher, whom he would soon marry and return to Maui with to start their family. An educator and a seamstress, Itsuko taught for many years and sewed numerous Aloha Shirts for family and friends.
December 7, 1941 - the bombing of Pearl Harbor - changed the course of history and the lives of many, and it definitely impacted the course of Sadami and his family’s lives. He continued to work for the Maui County Police Department after this fateful day, but as did many Nisei, he began searching for a way to serve his country. On January 29, 1943 he saw the opportunity and submitted a request to be called to active duty with the “Volunteer Battalion to be made up of Japanese Americans,” immediately after it was announced on January 28. His request was immediately approved and 1st Lt Sadami Katahara was quickly processed to active duty and on March 28, 1943, in the popular photo of the 442nd in front of Iolani Palace, he can be seen the second from the left. He and many other heroes were shipped to Camp Shelby, Mississippi to begin their training and to begin the 100th/442nd legacy that many of us are so proud of. Sadami would eventually serve as both a Platoon and Company Commander for the 100th Infantry Battalion, participating in the Rome-Arno, Rhineland, North Appennines and the Po Valley Campaigns. An infantryman by training, he was honored to wear a Bronze Star with two Oak Leaf Clusters for heroic achievement as did many of those in the 100th/442nd. After the war, Sadami returned to Maui, where he served in the Army Reserves and ultimately the Hawaii National Guard, ultimately resigning his commission as an US Army Reserve Captain in 1951.
In the civilian world, Sadami began to build his legacy of hard work and communications engineering. He would go on to be a part of building the radio infrastructure for the County of Hawaii, the broadcast station KMVI in Wailuku, Maui, and the radio communication system for the Mutual Telephone Company. He would ultimately spend a large portion of his career with the Department of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards. When he retired he received the Bronze Medal Award for Superior Federal Service as Chief of the NBS Field Station, at Kihei, Maui, Hawaii. Through it all, he was an avid Ham Radio Operator, and was known around the world as KH6DK, his call sign.
Sadami was proud of his service to his country and he established a legacy of service and education that carries on today. Sadami is survived by his three sons, Ronald, who served as a submarine officer in the US Navy and is a principal of a consulting electrical engineering firm on Oahu, Keith who earned his PhD in Geophysics and retired in Texas after a career in the oil and gas industry, Lester who flew F4’s and served as a JAG in the US Air Force and recently retired as an attorney in Connecticut.
The family of Sadami Katahara, a 100th Infantry Battalion Veteran and proud Nisei Japanese American, are honored to continue his legacy of service and education through the JAVA scholarship program.
