[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 139 (Tuesday, October 16, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S10766]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


       COMMENDING MR.ISAAC HOOPII FOR HIS ACTIONS AT THE PENTAGON

  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, on September 11, 2001, out of the rubble 
of destruction, countless Americans rose and demonstrated great courage 
and selflessness. One such American was Mr. Isaac Hoopii, a Native 
Hawaiian who resides in McLean, VA, and is a Pentagon police officer 
and member of a bomb-sniffing canine police unit.
  Minutes after a hijacked plane crashed into the Pengaton, Mr. Hoopii 
raced into the burning building and carried out eight people.
  His calm resolve in the face of danger equaled his physical prowess. 
Unable to see the terrified victims, but knowing that they were amid 
the debris, smoke, and darkness, Mr. Hoopii repeatedly called out: 
``Head toward my voice.''
  Several people followed his voice and crawled to safety. At least one 
man who was led by Mr. Hoopii's voice called it the ``voice of an 
angel,'' and credits it for saving his life.
  I have had the opportunity to hear Mr. Hoopii's voice. He is a 
musician with the ``Aloha Boys,'' a Hawaiian musical group that has 
performed on Capitol Hill. His singing is melodious and resonant, but I 
believe Mr. Hoopii's voice had never before sounded more beautiful than 
it did on that September morning. Mr. Hoopii carries with him the true 
aloha spirit, and I thank and commend him for sharing with the world 
the aloha of the Hawaiian people, whom I have been privileged to serve.

                          ____________________