Fred Sats Tanakatsubo collection

Fred Sats Tanakatsubo was born on April 26, 1920 in Sacramento, California. After graduating from high school, he passed the civil service test for the State of California. Sats worked in a restaurant and a laundry facility before he was able to obtain a state job.

Because of the mandatory draft, Sats decided to volunteer for the Armed Forces on October 27, 1941 and was sent to Camp Robert for basic training. The events of December 7, 1941 changed the course of his life. According to Sats, the army took Japanese American soldiers “out of the lineup, took our rifles away from us and put us in one big barrack.” Shortly thereafter, Sats and his fellow Japanese American soldiers were transferred from one training camp to another in order to do menial jobs. This “labor battalion” made stops in Fort Lewis, WA, Fort Snelling, MN and Camp Crowder, MO. Eventually Sats’ Japanese language skills were recognized and he was sent to Military Intelligence School (MIS) in Camp Savage, MN, where he received an intensive education in Japanese language. He was also trained as an interrogator of prisoners.

In December 1942, Sats was sent to the Aleutian Islands and participated in the retaking of Attu and Kiska. After a successful campaign, he was reassigned to the I Corp in Australia and participated in the retaking of New Guinea. When Sats was stationed Australia, his father passed away while incarcerated at the Topaz Relocation Center in Utah. Sats was not able to return to the U.S. for the services and was deeply shaken by the event. After New Guinea, Sats was sent to the Luzon Island in the Philippines. The I Corp was assigned to the Osaka, Japan where he served for three months before he was finally discharged on November 1945 after four years of service.

In 1946, Sats married Betty Kaihara in Cleveland, OH and then moved to Chicago where he worked in various professions, such as a dental technician, a florist, a machinist and then as a quality control inspector. He and his wife raised three sons - Niles (architect), Ramsey (optometrist), and Stewart (computer specialist).

While residing in Chicago, Sats became involved in youth activities while raising his three sons. He performed the roles of Assistant Cubmaster, Weblo leader and transportation chairman for the Boy Scouts. During the winter months, he gave the Cub Scouts swimming lessons at the Boys Club. Additionally, Sats served as manager of the Nisei Drum and Bugle Corps, where he formed a “parent booster club,” created a board and hired experienced instructors to mold the participants into a competitive drum and bugle group. During the summer months, the group traveled extensively through Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Canada, Boston, New York, and Washington, DC.

Sats became a member of the VFW Post 7181 in Forest Park and at the American Legion Post 1183. He served as their Commander, Service Commander, Junior Vice Commander, Service Officer, Color Guard Sergeant and Child Welfare Chairman. He was responsible for the starting the teriyaki chicken fundraiser, chaired the fundraising events at Hawthorn Racetrack and he cooked for the JASC and the Tri-C church bazaar. Sats co-chaired the distribution of bento and gifts to Issei community members and also taught western line dance at Heiwa Terrace, Chicago Buddhist, and Midwest Buddhist Temple.

In 1964, Sats efforts were recognized and he was awarded the “Citation of Recognition Award” at the state convention of the American Legion held at the Palmer House. The award was given for his “untiring efforts and distinguished service to the children of our community, state, and nation through persistent activity in child welfare work.”

On October 5, 2010, the U.S. Congress commissioned a Congressional Gold Medal to be awarded to the members of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and the Military Intelligence Service, United States Army, in order to recognize their exceptional contributions and dedication during World War II. As a member of the MIS, Sats proudly received his medal. In 2013, the Chicago History Museum, in collaboration with the Smithsonian and the National Veterans Network, created an exhibit entitled American Heroes: Japanese American World War II Nisei Soldiers and the Congressional Gold Medal. Sats’ story was profiled on the Chicago History Museum blog.

Source: Tanakatsubo, Fred Sats