Army veterans Vincent Okamoto, left, and James McEachin take questions during a World War II forum at the 19th annual American Veterans Center Veterans Conference & Honors and National Youth Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016.
(Photo: Stars and Stripes)
Former Los Angeles Superior Court Judge and U.S. Army Capt. Vincent Okamoto died on Sunday, Sept. 27 at the age of 76. Okamoto was reportedly the most highly decorated Japanese American to survive the Vietnam War.
Okamoto was born in a Japanese internment camp located in Poston, Arizona during World War II while his two eldest brothers served in the U.S. Army’s most decorated unit, the all-Japanese 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
Following in the footsteps of his six brothers, Vincent Okamoto also served in the U.S. Armed Forces after graduating UCLA’s Army ROTC program. He was deployed to Vietnam in 1968.
After the war, Okamoto earned his law degree from USC and served as a prosecutor in California before opening his own private practice. In 2002, he was appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court bench by Gov. Gray Davis.
Distinguished Service Cross for Valor
An Army Ranger serving in the 2-27th Infantry, Okamoto was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during an enemy attack in Southwest Vietnam on Aug. 24, 1968.
As his unit defended bunkers juxtaposed to an enemy fire support base near the Cambodian border, it was attacked by a large contingent of North Vietnamese Army Forces. Shortly after the fighting began, the disappearance of the unit’s platoon leader left U.S. Forces in the area disorganized and on the verge of being overrun.
Realizing the urgency of the situation, then 2nd Lt. Okamoto organized a defense by gathering volunteers and crawling towards the broken U.S. defensive line under close quarters enemy fire. He took the place of an APC gunner that had been killed earlier in the attack and began firing on advancing enemy forces until the gun was destroyed.
Okamoto then occupied two additional turret emplacements in order to return heavy weapons fire until he was shot in the chest, surviving only because the enemy round was unable to penetrate one of his rifle magazines.
Wounded, Okamoto continued to return fire on the advancing enemy, eventually resorting to his rifle and hand grenades until allied reinforcements and air support were able to provide relief to the embattled U.S. Forces.
Before leaving Vietnam, he would further earn the Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Heart awards.
Continuing to Serve
Okamoto continued to serve his country after Vietnam, receiving a Presidential Commendation from President Ronald Reagan for his work supporting veterans suffering from PTSD. He was also a leading force in the creation of the Japanese American National War Memorial Court, which honors every Japanese American that has died serving in America’s wars.
In 2007, Okamoto was again honored by the U.S. Army and inducted into the Army Ranger Hall of Fame.
Okamoto was also featured in the award-winning documentary The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.
