Vince Okamoto Inducted into Army Ranger Hall of Fame
Sunday, Sept. 23, 2007

L.A. Superior Court judge joins ranks of Army Ranger elite.

GRANT HIRABAYASHI
Vince Okamoto is congratulated by Ranger Phillip B. Piazza, president, Merrill’s Marauders Association following his induction into the Ranger Hall of Fame on Aug. 8.

FORTBENNING, Ga.—Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Vincent Hichiro Okamoto was inducted on Aug. 8 into the Ranger Hall of Fame (RHOF), the first post-WWII and the fourth Japanese Amer­ican to receive that prestigious honor. Col. Paul J. LaCamera, Commanding Officer of the 75th Ranger Regiment, presented a medallion and lapel pin to seventeen 2007 inductees at the Marshall Auditorium, Fort Benning, Ga., where the Regiment and RHOF are located. More than 2,000 attendees, including Mitzi Okamoto, wife of Vincent, witnessed the induction ceremony along with Ranger trainees. Okamoto’s name will be engraved on the Memorial Wall.

The RHOF was formed to honor and preserve the spirit and contributions of America’s most extraordinary Army Rangers. To qualify for induction into the RHOF, one must have served with distinction in a Ranger unit. Also, after leaving the armed forces, one must have served in a local, state or national government position or displayed out­standing character and leadership in the private or business sector.

“Judge Okamoto is truly deserving of this honor,” said U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, a combat veteran of World War II and a recipient of the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest honor for military valor. “Judge Okamoto has served our country with distinction as a soldier, and out of uniform as a lawyer, and now as a judge. He is an inspiration to all Americans.”

Judge Okamoto’s major awards, which include the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and Purple Heart with three oak leaf clusters, attest to his extraordinary heroism in the Vietnam War. Following his discharge with the rank of Captain, Okamoto graduated from University of Southern California Law School, served for the first five years in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, was in private law practice for eight years, and served as founding chairman of the Pacific Heritage Bank, which became one of the largest minority controlled banks in America.

In his acceptance remarks, Okamoto said, “I would like to thank the Ranger Hall of Fame Selection Committee; Grant Hirabayashi of Silver Spring, Md.; Ranger Phillip B. Piazza, president, Merrill’s Marauders Association; and Ken Hayashi of Yorba Linda for allowing me to join the gallant band of courageous warriors. Although I stand before you this afternoon as an individual, I accept this award in a representative capacity for all the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and never received the recognition and honor they deserved when they got home… I accept the award with my humble thanks.”

Ranger Okamoto joins three Nisei WWII soldiers in the ranks of the RHOF: Rangers Roy Matsumoto of Friday Harbor, Wash., Henry Gosho of Seattle, Wash., and Grant Hirabayashi of Silver Spring, Md. The latter three were members of the Merrill’s Marauders, a special-forces unit which operated be­hind enemy lines in Burma in WWII.