Daniel Inouye
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Daniel_Inouye%2C_official_Senate_photo_portrait%2C_2008.jpg/220px-Daniel_Inouye%2C_official_Senate_photo_portrait%2C_2008.jpg) |
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In office
June 28, 2010 ? December 17, 2012
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President
| Barack Obama
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Leader
| Harry Reid
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Preceded by
| Robert Byrd
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Succeeded by
| Patrick Leahy
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In office
January 3, 1963 ? December 17, 2012
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Preceded by
| Oren Long
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Succeeded by
| Brian Schatz
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In office
August 21, 1959 ? January 3, 1963
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Preceded by
| John Burns
(
Delegate
)
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Succeeded by
| Thomas Gill
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Born
| (
1924-09-07
)
September 7, 1924
Honolulu
,
Territory of Hawaii
,
U.S.
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Died
| December 17, 2012
(2012-12-17)
(aged 88)
Bethesda
,
Maryland
,
U.S.
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Political party
| Democratic Party
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Spouse(s)
| Maggie Shinobu Awamura
(1949?2006)
Irene Hirano
(2008?2012)
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Children
| Ken Inouye
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Alma mater
| University of Hawaii, Manoa
George Washington University
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Awards
| Medal of Honor
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
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Signature
| ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Daniel_K._Inouye_Signature.svg/128px-Daniel_K._Inouye_Signature.svg.png) |
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Website
| Senate website
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Allegiance
|
United States
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Branch/service
| United States Army
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Years of service
| 1943?1947
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Rank
| Captain
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Unit
| 442nd Regimental Combat Team
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Battles/wars
| World War II
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- In this
Japanese
name
, the
family name
is
Inouye
.
Daniel Ken "Dan" Inouye
[1]
(September 7, 1924 – December 17, 2012) was an
American
politician and
United States Senator
from Hawaii.
[2]
He was known for receiving the
Medal of Honor
because of his actions in
World War II
.
[3]
Inouye was born in 1924 in the Territory of Hawaii. He was the son of a father who was born in Japan and a mother whose parents were born in Japan. He was a
Nisei
, which means that he was a second generation Japanese-American.
[4]
Medal of Honor
Inouye was an officer in
World War II
.
[5]
He volunteered to be part of the all-
Nisei
442nd Regimental Combat Team.
[6]
This army unit was mostly made up of second-generation Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland.
[7]
He was wounded several times at Colle Musatello (a battle in
Italy
), and lost an arm. He remained in the military until 1947. At the time he left the Army, he was a recipient of the
Bronze Star Medal
and the
Purple Heart
. For his actions in April 1945, Inouye was awarded the Army's second-highest decoration, the
Distinguished Service Cross
(DSC). In the 1990s, there was a review of service records of Asian Americans who received the DSC during World War II. Inouye's award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. In a ceremony at the
White House
on June 21, 2000, he was presented with his medal by President
Bill Clinton
. Twenty-one other Asian Americans also received the medal during the ceremony, but only seven of them were still alive.
[8]
Inouye's Medal of Honor
recognized
his conduct in
frontline
fighting at San Terenzo, Italy in April 1945.
[3]
Without help from others, he destroyed two machine gun nests; and he continued to fight and lead his
platoon
after being wounded.
[9]
The words of Inouye's citation explain:
Second Lieutenant Daniel K. Inouye distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 21 April 1945, in the vicinity of San Terenzo, Italy. While attacking a defended ridge guarding an important road junction, Second Lieutenant Inouye skillfully directed his platoon through a hail of automatic weapon and small arms fire, in a swift enveloping movement that resulted in the capture of an artillery and mortar post and brought his men to within 40 yards of the hostile force. Emplaced in bunkers and rock formations, the enemy halted the advance with crossfire from three machine guns. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Second Lieutenant Inouye crawled up the treacherous slope to within five yards of the nearest machine gun and hurled two grenades, destroying the emplacement. Before the enemy could retaliate, he stood up and neutralized a second machine gun nest. Although wounded by a sniper’s bullet, he continued to engage other hostile positions at close range until an exploding grenade shattered his right arm. Despite the intense pain, he refused evacuation and continued to direct his platoon until enemy resistance was broken and his men were again deployed in defensive positions. In the attack, 25 enemy soldiers were killed and eight others captured. By his gallant, aggressive tactics and by his indomitable leadership, Second Lieutenant Inouye enabled his platoon to advance through formidable resistance, and was instrumental in the capture of the ridge. Second Lieutenant Inouye’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.
[10]
After the war, Inouye studied politics in college. He was elected to the Hawaii Territorial Legislature in the 1950s.
When Hawaii became a state, he was its first
Congressman
. He served in the United States Senate from 1963 to 2012.
After 2010, Inouye was President Pro Tempore of the Senate,
[11]
a title given to the longest-serving Senator of the party in power. This made him the highest-ranking
Asian American
politician in the
history of the United States
.
[12]
Inouye had plans to run for a record tenth term for senator in 2016,
[13]
[14]
but he died on December 17, 2012, before his term was to be completed by January 3, 2017.
Inouye's wife of 57 years, Maggie, died on March 13, 2006. On May 24, 2008, he married
Irene Hirano
in
Beverly Hills, California
. Ms. Hirano was president and founding chief executive officer of the
Japanese American National Museum
in Los Angeles, California. On May 27, 2010, Ms. Hirano was elected by the board to chair the nation's 2nd largest non-profit,
The Ford Foundation
.
[15]
Inouye's son Kenny was the guitarist for influential D.C.
hardcore punk
band
Marginal Man
.
[16]
Inouye died on December 17, 2012 in
Bethesda, Maryland
from a respiratory aliment, aged 88.
[17]
- ↑
"
Voice of America
pronunciation guide"
. Names.voa.gov
. Retrieved
July 2,
2010
.
- ↑
Cillizza, Chris.
"Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye dies at age 88,"
Washington Post.
December 17, 2012; retrieved 2012-12-17.
- ↑
3.0
3.1
US Army Center of Military History (CMH),
"Medal of Honor Recipients, World War II (G-L)"
Archived
2009-08-05 at the
Wayback Machine
; retrieved 2012-11-25.
- ↑
Kalamazoo Public Library,
"Senator Daniel Inouye: Nisei veteran"
Archived
2010-10-13 at the
Wayback Machine
; retrieved 2012-11-25.
- ↑
Associated Press (Chicago), "Keynoter Knows Sting of Bias, Poverty", St. Petersburg Times, August 27, 1968.
- ↑
Go for Broke National Education Center,
"Medal of Honor Recipient 2nd Lieutenant Daniel K. Inouye"
Archived
2012-07-17 at the
Wayback Machine
; retrieved 2012-12-7.
- ↑
"100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry" at Global Security.org
; retrieved 2012-12-7.
- ↑
"21 Asian American World War II Vets to Get Medal of Honor" at University of Hawaii Digital History
Archived
2012-03-17 at the
Wayback Machine
; retrieved 2012-12-27.
- ↑
CMH,
"Asian Pacific American Medal of Honor recipients"
Archived
2009-07-29 at the
Wayback Machine
; retrieved 2012-12-28.
- ↑
Gomez-Granger, Julissa. (2008).
Medal of Honor Recipients: 1979-2008,
"Inoue, Daniel K." pp. 10-11 [PDF 14-15 of 44]
; HomeofHeroes.com,
"Inouye, Daniel K."
; retrieved 2012-11-25.
- ↑
Hulse, Carl (June 28, 2010).
"Inouye Sworn In as President Pro Tem"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
June 28,
2010
.
- ↑
Raju, Manu (June 28, 2010).
"Daniel Inouye was in the line of presidential succession"
.
Politico
. Retrieved
June 29,
2010
.
- ↑
Manu Raju and John Bresnahan (April 12, 2011).
"Sen. Daniel Inouye goes silent on big Hawaiian race"
. Politico.
- ↑
Hamilton, Chris.
"The Maui News - Inouye has more he wants to do for (Hawaii Senator emphasizes need for Democrats to remain in control)"
.
The Maui News
. The Maui News
. Retrieved
September 2,
2012
.
- ↑
"Irene Hirano Inouye to Chair Ford Foundation ? Rafu Shimpo"
. Rafu.com. June 3, 2010. Archived from
the original
on July 16, 2011
. Retrieved
August 29,
2010
.
- ↑
"Inouye"
. Retrieved
March 19,
2010
.
- ↑
"Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye dies at age 88"
.
Washington Post
. Retrieved
17 December
2012
.
Media related to
Daniel Inouye
at Wikimedia Commons
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| Seal of the United States Senate
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| Seal of the United States Senate President Pro Tempore
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