Decorated WWII veteran Rocky Matayoshi passes at age 90

WOODRIDGE – Shinyei "Rocky" Matayoshi was small in stature but in some ways larger than life.

Though he was only about 5 feet tall, he received numerous medals and honors for acts of bravery while fighting in Europe during World War II.

Matayoshi, 90, who lived in Woodridge for the last decade, died Nov. 22 at the Hines Veteran Hospital.

“He always had an extremely positive attitude about everything in life,” said his son, Ed Matayoshi.

Shu Miyazaki, a Woodridge resident and friend of Matayoshi’s, said Matayoshi was an honest man who he never knew to lie.

“He was generous, kind,” he said. “He was a good friend.”

Rocky Matayoshi was born and grew up in Hawaii, the son of Japanese immigrants who worked for a sugar company.

While his parents were in a Japanese-American internment camp, Matayoshi was working on a sugar plantation in Hawaii when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943.

He served as a technical sergeant in Company G, 2nd Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which saw extensive action in Europe.

Though Matayoshi earned numerous awards for acts of bravery and valor, he did not receive many of them until later in his life due to a warehouse fire that burned up the records.

The honors included the Distinguished Service Cross – the nation’s second-highest award for valor, as well as two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart Medal.

Congressional records from when these awards were given told stories of Matayoshi rushing into enemy fire in order to take out machine gun nests.

After the war, Matayoshi moved to Chicago and became an auto mechanic and gas station attendant.

Ed Matayoshi said his father was like a drill sergeant to him and his siblings, expecting a balance of physical and mental fitness. He was also an intimidating presence as a body builder who was active in judo and wrestling.

However, Matayoshi did not speak much about his experiences in the war. His children did not hear many of the stories about him until he received his honors during ceremonies in 1996 and 2011.

“The stories were interesting and nice,” Ed Matayoshi said. “It’s nice to hear your dad is a hero.”

He said one story story his father did tell them as children was when he saved a lieutenant who had been shot by carrying him on his back and crawling through the battlefield. He received a Bronze Star for the act.

He said his father was proud of that honor because, unlike his other honors, he received it because he saved someone’s life instead of killing someone.