Late Member of Famed WWII Unit to Receive Honor Thurs.

A member of the U.S. Army's most-decorated unit ever will receive an award at a ceremony near Rosemont Thursday, more than 60 years after his service in World War II and a year after his death.

Pfc. Minoru Miyasaki was a member of the Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team, an infantry unit made entirely of Japanese-Americans. He died last year, but will receive the Bronze Star Medal from the California National Guard Thursday at .

"The unit was made up of second-generation Japanese-Americans or 'Nisei' who defended the United States despite the fact that the U.S. government categorized them as 'enemy aliens' following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941," a press release from the California National Guard states.

Miyasaki volunteered for military service in 1944, and after training he joined the 442nd in France. There he "was engaged in the Po Valley Campaign in Italy, where they captured Genoa and entered Turin," according to the press release. "His element remained with the occupation troops for more than a year thereafter guarding supplies, equipment and POWs through 1946."

Thursday's service is closed to the public, and Miyasaki's wife Lilly Miyasaki will be on hand to receive the Bronze Star Medal from Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, the Adjutant General of the California National Guard.