Sgt. Masayoshi "Banta" Ogata, January 25, 1944

Masayoshi was raised in Up Camp Hakalau, attended Hakalau School and later graduated from McKinley High School on Oahu in 1936. His father had immigrated in 1893 and worked as an engineer in the Hakalau Mill. Masayoshi was 26 years old and an electrician at Hakalau Plantation before being inducted into the Army on March 24, 1941, well before the December 7th attack. He was the first in Hakalau to volunteer. He and others were honored at a Hakalau dinner including Plantation Manager John M. Ross, Hakalau School Principal Eugene Capellas and Reverend Mamiya of the Hakalau Jodo Mission.
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Sgt. Masayoshi "Banta" Ogata
SGT Ogata was in the 100th Battalion Company D when it landed at Salerno, Italy in late September 1943, and was killed on January 25, 1944 near Cassino in the opening months of the battle of Cassino. In an account of that day, "[the 100th] fought a series of advances and withdrawals through mine-wire defensive belts, without the benefit of armor, and under the registered German guns, eventually securing a shallow bridgehead on the west side of the Rapido [River]".
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Services were held in Hakalau at the Japanese Language School next to the Jodo Mission and a moment of silence was observed at the opening of the Hakalau baseball season for their former "star player."  He was survived by his parents, 5 sisters and 4 brothers.  He is buried at Alae Cemetery.
For the Hakalau Kuleana, our responsibility is to care for the land, the people, and the culture. We are guided by cultural values of YESTERDAY: Engage in collective effort. Look out for each other. Honor hard work. Show respect for those who came before us. Aloha and Mālama `Aina. In 2021, Akiko Masuda added two more values to the list: Consistently show up. Whatever has to be done, jump in and do it!