[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11650]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        SENATOR INOUYE OF HAWAII

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, there has been discussion of the great 
honor that the distinguished senior Senator from Hawaii earned. He 
actually earned it when I was a child. He earned it on the battlefield 
in Europe, particularly in Italy, my mother country.
  I will speak further on this at a more appropriate time. But I have 
served with Dan Inouye for 25 years, and only because I was managing 
this bill was I not with him when he received the honor today. I talked 
to him before. I told him how enormously proud I am of him--all of his 
colleagues are proud of him--for the 25 years that I have served with 
him.
  While he did not receive the honor at the time it was due--and many 
know why--his bravery was so well demonstrated at a time in this 
country when our sense of inclusion of people of all races was not as 
good as it is today. But I think the feeling of veterans and the 
feeling of historians have vindicated his achievements throughout all 
of this time.
  I think of one thing. I was overseas for the 50th anniversary of D-
Day, and when Dan Inouye walked onto the stage when his name was 
announced, veterans from all over this country cheered and applauded. 
He was accompanied by another distinguished Member of this body who was 
also cheered, from the Presiding Officer's State, Senator Dole. It was 
an emotional moment for all Senators who were there to see two such 
loved Members of this body received that way.
  Today we open a new chapter in our country--closing not a very good 
chapter--and we did the right thing telling everybody that Dan Inouye 
earned the Congressional Medal of Honor.
  I yield the floor.

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