Army Col. Paul Nakasone, who grew up in White Bear Lake and is now serving as executive assistant to the commander of the U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade, Md., is awaiting U.S. Senate confirmation of his promotion to become a one-star general.
Nakasone, 47, graduated from White Bear High School and St. John’s University in Collegeville. He was commissioned through the Army ROTC program in 1986.
His father, Edwin Nakasone, was born in Hawaii and as a teen witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. After graduating from high school, the elder Nakasone was drafted into the U.S. Army and served as an interpreter with the occupational forces in Japan. He retired as a U.S. Army colonel and taught history in the White Bear area before retiring. His book, “The Nisei Soldier,” looks at Japanese-American soldiers who served in World War II and Korea.
I’m happy to see the Edwin Nakasone is still with us. He was one of the most influential teachers I had in high school. I still remember some of his account of December 7, 1941.