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PFC Torao Hayashi

  • Branch: Army
  • Hometown/City: CA
  • Date of Birth:
  • Date of Death:
  • Conflict: WWII
  • Unit:
  • Port/Base:

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  • Pfc Torao Hayashi January 24, 1914 – October 28, 1944 Torao Hayashi born on January 25, 1914 was the 2nd born of 11 children born to Ichimatsu and Yoneyo Hayashi of Sacramento, California. He was raised on a farm attending and graduating from Lincoln grade and high schools in Sacramento. Hayashi (SN 39078621) was inducted in the Army prior to Japan’s attack at Pearl Harbor. He took basic training at Camp Roberts, California, with additional training at Fort Bliss, Texas and Camp Shelby MS before going overseas in 1944. During this period 100th Infantry Battalion attached to the 34th Infantry division was already in combat in Italy suffering their first casualty on 29 September 1943. The next eight months the 100th Infantry Battalion would experience some of WWII fiercest fighting and the unit would be reduced to a skeleton force. Their campaign from Salerno to Rome would be a costly with over 200 Killed in Action and many more wounded and other battle casualty. It is in this environment that the newly arrived 442nd Infantry regiment would join the battle savvy 100th Battalion (sep) to become 442nd Regimental Combat Team complete with it’s own Field Artillery Battalion, Combat Engineers and Anti-Tank Companies. The unit would continue to fight to the Arno River and after crossing the river the 100th reached five miles northeast of Pisa before pulling back. After being relieved from the front line, the Combat Team was trucked to Piombino where the unit embarked on ship headed for Naples Harbor. While there as the regiment bivouacked outside of Naples, 181 replacements from Camp Shelby would join the unit. . Pfc Torao Hayashi ASN 39078621 would join Company B of the 100th Bn, 442nd Regt. which was now assigned to the 7th Army in preparation for the French campaign. After arriving at Marseille Harbor on September 29, the unit left the docks for a railroad station to board box cars for a four hour ride to a bivouac outside of Septemes, as it readies for the next battle in the Vosges Mountain. The French Campaign involved liberating the towns of Bruyeres and Biffontaine lasted 20 days, The unit was relieved and was preparing for a few days of well earned rest in Belmont, but within 36 hours the 442nd RCT was pulled out of reserve in an attempt to rescue the 1 st Battalion, 141 st Infantry, a Texas unit which had been surrounded in the forest two miles east of Biffontaine. During the 2nd day of battle in rescue of the Lost Battalion, on 28 Oct 44, Pfc Torao Hayashi was killed in action. Torao was awarded Purple Heart, Combat Infantry Badge and Distinguished Unit Badge. Besides his parents Torao was survived by brothers: John, Masuo and Roy. Surviving sisters were Hisako, Michiye, Louise, Barbara, Ruth and Ruby. Torao Hayashi is buried at East Lawn Cemetery in Sacramento Prepared for AJA WWII Memorial Alliance’s “Echoes of Silence” by: Mits Kojimoto and Cindy Kumagawa Russell K. Shoho

    AJA WWII Memorial Alliance’s “Echoes of Silence” , ORGANIZATION