Date: 2012-12-19
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: 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 PreMed 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 Hawaiis first Representative in the House. a source of great pride to all Members. past and present. As Hawaiis first Congressman and. subsequently. as a nineterm 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 theyve earned. He was a consistent champion for the interests of Hawaiis 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 entire 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 much for this country. And so with heavy hearts. we bid "aloha" to Senator Daniel Inouyea man whose chapter in American history will live on. The previous question was ordered.