[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 166 (Friday, December 21, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1977-E1978]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RELATING TO THE DEATH OF THE HONORABLE DANIEL K. INOUYE, A SENATOR FROM 
                          THE STATE OF HAWAII

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 19, 2012

  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in reflection and 
remembrance of the life of Senator Daniel Inouye.
  I was deeply saddened to hear of the loss of Senator Daniel Inouye on 
Monday; his passing marks the end of an era for the people of Hawaii, 
for the United States Senate and Congress, and for the country. A 
public servant from start to finish, Daniel Inouye has left a shining, 
indelible mark on history that will inspire Americans for generations 
to come.
  His story is simply incredible. Daniel was a medical volunteer during 
the Pearl Harbor attacks in 1941. Even though the U.S. Army banned 
people of Japanese descent from enlisting, and even though Executive 
Order 9066 authorized the internment of roughly 110,000 Japanese 
Americans, Daniel Inouye found it within himself to be an American 
patriot.
  Soon after the ban on enlistment was lifted, he abandoned his Pre-Med 
studies at the University of Hawaii and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 
1943. He was a war hero in the truest sense of the term, earning a 
Medal of Honor for his actions on the battlefields of World War II 
before his State was even admitted to the Union.
  Daniel Inouye was a Lieutenant and Platoon Leader on the battlefield 
in Tuscany, Italy in April 1945. Even after being shot in the stomach 
by German machine gun fire, he refused medical treatment and still 
managed to find the courage to destroy 2 machine gun nests. Nearly 
losing consciousness from blood loss, he heroically charged a 3rd 
machine gun nest before having his right arm severed by a German 
grenade. Somehow, even after these grave injuries, Daniel Inouye still 
found a way to toss a grenade that destroyed the 3rd bunker.
  He remained a proud member of the military until his honorable 
discharge as a Captain in 1947. He was Hawaii's first Representative in 
the House, a source of great pride to all Members, past and present.
  As Hawaii's first Congressman and, subsequently, as a nine-term 
Senator, Daniel Inouye embodied the spirit of ``aloha'' in his work. 
Serving as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, he worked to 
strengthen our national security and help veterans access the benefits 
they've earned.
  He was a consistent champion for the interests of Hawaii's people. I 
am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with Senator Inouye, and 
my thoughts are with his family and with the people of his beloved 
Hawaii, who will always remember him for his leadership and his 
courage. As a Senator, he never forgot his military roots, and has 
always been a voice for veterans.
  Senator Inouye was a patriarch of Hawaii, and all Hawaiians will long 
remember his unyielding devotion to the economic vitality, progress, 
and success of his beloved home State. His fellow Americans will long 
remember his leadership in protecting our men and women in uniform, 
strengthening our national security, reaching across the aisle, and 
investing in a future of prosperity for all.
  By his actions, he stood firm for the independence of the Congress, 
the strength of our democracy, and the values of the American people.
  I want to extend my condolences to his wife, Irene, his son Daniel 
Jr., and the rest of his family as they mourn the loss of a great man.
  When asked recently how he wanted to be remembered, Daniel said, 
quite humbly, ``I represented the people of Hawaii and this Nation 
honestly and to the best of my ability. I think I did OK.'' I think 
that I speak for us all when I say that this was quite an 
understatement for a man who accomplished so much and sacrificed so for 
this country. And so with heavy hearts, we bid ``aloha'' to Senator 
Daniel Inouye--a man whose chapter in American history will live on.

[[Page E1978]]



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