[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 187 (Wednesday, December 7, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8394-S8395]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            PEARL HARBOR DAY

  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, today is December 7, 2011. Seventy years 
ago, something happened in Pearl Harbor. I shall never forget that day 
because it was a Sunday, and, as were many Americans, I was preparing 
to go to church. I was putting on my necktie and having a good time 
listening to delightful Hawaiian music. Suddenly, at about this time--
1:55 p.m. here--the disc jockey in charge of that program began 
screaming, yelling into the mike. He was saying: ``The Japanese are 
bombing Pearl Harbor!'' He kept on repeating that. For a moment, I 
thought it was a repeat or replay of Orson Welles, which my colleagues 
will recall was the program that was a mighty hit in the United States.
  The disc jockey kept on doing this for about 5 minutes--no music, 
just screaming--so I decided to take my father out on the street and 
look toward Pearl Harbor. We could see these black puffs, and then we 
knew what was happening. Suddenly, while watching these black puffs of 
explosions, we could hear a rumble just overhead, and there were three 
aircraft. They were pearl gray in color, and they had red dots on the 
wings. I knew what was happening, and I thought the world had just come 
to an end. Just about 2,400 American sailors and soldiers and 
noncombatants died that morning.

[[Page S8395]]

  I was a young man of 17 at that time, but I was also a volunteer 
medical aid man. We had a little aid station--a temporary one--set up 
by the elementary school called Lunalilo. So I rushed there to respond 
to the call of duty, and I stayed there for about a week taking care of 
the wounded and the dead, because we also maintained a morgue on the 
school premises.
  I became familiar with the cost of war--not the full cost, but I knew 
what was happening. The war was much more than just blood and guts. We 
have an extraordinary Constitution. We have an extraordinary set of 
laws. But throughout the history of mankind--not just the history of 
the United States but the history of mankind--war has always provided 
some justification for leaders to set aside these laws. For example, on 
just about Christmas Eve of 1941, about 3 weeks after December 7, the 
U.S. Government made a decision, and that decision was to provide a new 
designation for all Japanese residing in the United States. Citizens 
and noncitizens, such as my father, were given the new designation, 
which was 4-C.
  As the Presiding Officer knows, 1-A means you are physically fit, 
mentally alert, and you can put on a uniform; 4-F means something is 
wrong with you; and 4-C is the designation for an ``enemy alien.'' Just 
imagine that--an enemy alien. This was used as one of the 
justifications to round up over 120,000 Japanese, most of them 
Americans of Japanese ancestry, and place them into these internment 
camps. There were 10 of them throughout the United States in very 
desolate areas--Arkansas, Arizona, Utah, out in the deserts. Their 
crime was they were ``enemy aliens.'' None of them had committed any 
crime. Investigation after investigation disclosed that. No sabotage, 
no espionage, no assault--nothing. They were rounded up and placed into 
these camps, which were described by our government as concentration 
camps. Yes, it was unconstitutional, but our leaders felt the war was a 
justification to set aside the Constitution and set aside the laws.

  Well, many of us--especially the young ones--were very eager to 
demonstrate to our neighbors and to our government that we were loyal, 
that we wanted to do our part in this war, and, if necessary, put our 
lives on the line. We petitioned the government. Finally, after about a 
year of petitioning, President Roosevelt issued a statement saying: 
Americanism is not a matter of blood or color. Americanism is a matter 
of heart and soul. He said: OK, form a volunteer group. And that was 
done. We trained in Mississippi and we did our best.
  The 100th Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team were assigned 
to do our battles in Europe. We fought in Italy and France. We started 
off the war with about 6,000 men. At the end, over 12,000 had gone 
through the ranks. So you can imagine the casualty rates. We had about 
10,000 Purple Hearts for all the wounds they received. We were told 
that these two units became the most decorated in the history of the 
United States.
  Yes, the bombing of Pearl Harbor 70 years ago began a period of my 
life when I became an adult and, I hope, a good American. It is 
something I will never forget. It changed my life forever.
  Something of interest at this moment: 20 years ago, when we decided 
to make it a national event--the 50th anniversary of the bombing of 
Pearl Harbor--on that morning, the President was there. The Secretary 
of Defense, the Secretary of War, the Secretaries of the Interior 
Department, State Department--all of the important people of the United 
States were in attendance.
  In preparation of this, we took a poll, about 6 months before 
December 7, and the poll was among high school seniors, well-educated 
young boys and girls. The question was a very simple one: What is the 
significance of December 7, 1941?
  Mr. President, I am sad to report to you that less than half could 
respond. Most of them thought it was a birthday of some President or 
some historic date of some nature, but they could not recall what it 
was.
  On this 70th anniversary, I wonder, if that poll were taken again, 
What would be the outcome?
  Well, I hope we will remember December 7. I hope we will remember 9/
11. That was just a few years ago. But people are beginning to forget 
9/11, as well as forgetting December 7.
  If December 7 is going to teach us anything, it should be that we 
must remain vigilant at all times--not just to avoid war but vigilant 
among ourselves so we would not use this as a justification to set 
aside our most honored document, the Constitution. I hope it will never 
happen again.
  Mr. President, I thank you very much for this opportunity.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Cardin). The Senator from Arizona.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I am very moved by the words of the 
Senator from Hawaii--not only his words but the example he has set for 
all Americans of heroism and sacrifice and service to his country, and 
a most valued Member of the U.S. Senate but, more importantly, a 
genuine American hero.
  I thank the Senator from Hawaii for his continued service and his 
continued inspiration to all Americans, especially those who are 
serving in the military today.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, would my friend yield for a brief statement.
  Mr. McCAIN. I would be glad to yield.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I, like my friend from Arizona, compliment 
my friend from Hawaii. But I think it speaks volumes to hear Senator 
John McCain talk about a hero. It is a hero talking about a hero. Far 
too rarely do we recognize these people whom we have the opportunity to 
serve with here in the U.S. Senate.
  When I came here with Senator McCain--we came at the same time--we 
had a lot of people who were war veterans. It is not the case anymore. 
But I so appreciate John McCain--a certified, unqualified hero--
standing and talking about Dan Inouye being a hero. This says, I 
repeat, volumes coming from someone who is a hero himself.
  I have such admiration for both of these men. For someone who has 
never served in the military, to have the pleasure of being able to 
serve and work together with these two men will be something I will 
remember the rest of my life.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I am deeply touched by the kind and 
undeserved words of my old friend of many years, the distinguished 
majority leader. We have had our spirited combat and our agreements, 
but we share a commitment--the two of us--for the betterment of this 
Nation.
  I also remind my friend from Nevada what he already knows, but I 
remind him, it does not take a great deal of talent to get shot down. I 
was able to intercept a surface-to-air missile with my own airplane, 
which will not go down in the Aviation Hall of Fame, not to mention the 
several aircraft I destroyed at taxpayers' expense in previous times.
  So I thank my dear friend from Nevada, as well, for his kind words.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I appreciate the humility of my friend. I 
have heard him say words to this effect before. The fact is, what he 
did after the plane went down is what we all will remember. As long as 
our country is the country it is, we will always remember what happened 
after that plane went down, what John McCain did, setting an example 
for the world and certainly his country.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask to speak in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is recognized.

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