LIHUE — Kauai lost a treasured member of its family when war veteran, father, businessman and political advocate Turk Tokita died Saturday. He was 94. Tokita leaves behind his wife, Emi, two sons, daughter, and five grandchildren. He also leaves
LIHUE — Kauai lost a treasured member of its family when war veteran, father, businessman and political advocate Turk Tokita died Saturday.
He was 94.
Tokita leaves behind his wife, Emi, two sons, daughter, and five grandchildren. He also leaves a community of friends who remember him as a good soldier who received the Congressional Medal of Honor, worked as a studio photographer, championed veterans causes, and supported statehood and several pioneering public officials.
“He lived a long and fulfilled life,” said Lane Tokita, his eldest son. “I could do half of what he did and still achieve a great deal.”
Friends and family did not think it was his time. The only hint that Tokita’s passing might be imminent was that he told one of his grandchildren he was ready to pass shortly before he did, Lane said.
“He stayed very happy and in good spirits,” Lane said. “I was surprised since he was doing so well. He was talking and smiling even on the day he passed.”
Tokita was a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team that fought in World War II and became the most decorated unit for its size in the history of the U.S. Army. He was among the first of the Nisei members, Japanese Americans born in the United States, fighting in the war.
After the war, Tokita studied art and photography in the 1950s on the Mainland, and became an advocate for Hawaii statehood. He campaigned for John A. Burns and served as his Kauai campaign manager through three terms as Hawaii’s second governor.
Naotoshi Mikasa said he and Tokita were close friends growing up in Lihue. He said Tokita was an athlete and champion javelin thrower at Kauai High School.
“I have fond memories of our childhood adventures,” Mikasa said. “I used to walk over to his house quite often, and his mother told me stories about the old plantation days when most of the land was still controlled by the Native Hawaiians, and the stories of the missionaries.”
The two boys planned to join the military for a life of excitement. Tokita joined first. Later, while Tokita recovered in the hospital from war injuries, he wrote letters to Mikasa, telling him that war was no adventure.
“He wrote, ‘This is no children’s game, don’t sign up to come here’, and I went into the service later on because of the advice he gave me,” Mikasa said. “I am probably alive today because of that advice, because I wasn’t drafted into the Army until years later.”
After the war, Mikasa recalled that Tokita was rather soft spoken and belonged to the 442nd Club. He made numerous trips to Honolulu and Washington D.C.
“He supported all of the veterans causes and was a staunch Democrat and did well in politics when he was young,” Mikasa said. “He even ran for the local council but didn’t get in.”
Jiro Yukimura, a veteran of the Military Intelligence Service, said he and Tokita were raised and schooled in Lihue. Tokita volunteered for the 442nd at a time when they were replacing the great losses experienced by the 100th Battalion that proceeded it.
“He did his part in combat and in the liberation campaigns,” Yukimura said. “He was wounded more than once and had to get out of the fighting.”
After the war, Tokita went to art school on the GI Bill, and opened a photography shop in Lihue.
“He was a nice guy and he took part in politics and supported Gov. Burns like most of us,” Yukimura added. “He was very active as the Burns’ rep on Kauai and I don’t think anyone worked as hard.”
Elected officials credited Tokita’s role in inspiring their interest in politics.
Rep. Daynette “Dee” Morikawa called Tokita a very dear friend of her mother, Elaine Taira, who helped run Gov. George Ariyoshi’s campaign in the early 1970s. It was where Morikawa was exposed to politics.
“Turk was a role model, a very respected leader and hard worker for the veterans,” Morikawa said. “His ability to motivate anyone to become politically active was extraordinary.”
He was a professional at getting people moved to take part in a true grass roots campaign, she added.
“Turk will be missed, but his legacy lives on in everyone he touched,” Morikawa said.
Tokita’s 442nd fighting unit was composed almost entirely of American soldiers of Japanese ancestry who fought despite the fact many of their families were subject to internment. At at time when Japanese Americans were viewed by many in their own country as enemies, Tokita and others stepped up to do their duty just the same, Rep. Derek Kawakami said.
“He is one of the main reasons that individuals like myself and others have the opportunities that we have today,” said Kawakami. “For that, we are forever grateful.”
In 2011, Tokita went to Washington D.C. to join several surviving members of the 100th, 442nd, and the Military Intelligence Service translators who served in the Pacific Theater. Together, they were recognized in a Congressional Medal of Honor ceremony to acknowledge their service at a time of the internment and the strong anti-Japanese American sentiment.
District 8 State Sen. Ronald Kouchi, said that much has been written and spoken about Tokita’s contributions to shaping state politics and polices. He considered his proudest accomplishments as his three children, Lane, Mari and Ken, he added.
“I am aware that Ken and Mari have tried and succeeded at businesses,” Kouchi said. “And here on Kauai, Lane has dedicated his life to passing on his fathers’ passion to correcting social injustices and certain social polices as with social studies and ensuring that high school students become informed and productive citizens.”
Dick Godbehere, a member of the Kauai chapter commander of The Military Order of the Purple Heart, said Tokita was one of those World War II guys that everyone talked about with respect and admiration.
Godbehere, wounded three times himself as a patrol boat officer during the Vietnam War, met Tokita on a few occasions
“I didn’t know him well but everyone I knew spoke well of him and respected him,” he said. “He was always supportive of veterans issues and I respected him as an individual for what he did for veterans.”
A service will be held on June 25 at Kauai Veterans Center, 3215 Kapule Highway in Lihue. The visitation will start at 3:30 p.m. and the service begins at 5 p.m.
