PHX787 From Japan, joined Mar 2012, 4965 posts, RR: 14 Reply 2, posted (5 months 6 days 10 hours ago) and read 1517 times:
This guy may have had differing political views than I, but this guy was one heck of a genius and a successful policy maker. As a proponent of improving relations between Japan and America, I believe he's one of the best senators we've had.
According to his staff, his last words were "Aloha."
rfields5421 From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 6150 posts, RR: 25 Reply 3, posted (5 months 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 1443 times:
Daniel Inouye was an AMERICAN HERO.
Losing his right arm in battle in Italy, he continued to serve his country in uniform until 1947, and for most of the remainder of his life in the House and Senate.
Losing his right arm in battle in Italy, he continued to serve his country in uniform until 1947, and for most of the remainder of his life in the House and Senate.
For those who don't know, here is a little detail of how Inouye lost his arm - and kept fighting.
Quote: As his squad distracted the third machine gunner, Inouye crawled toward the final bunker, eventually drawing within 10 yards. As he raised himself up and cocked his arm to throw his last grenade into the fighting position, a German inside fired a rifle grenade that struck him on the right elbow, severing most of his arm and leaving his own primed grenade reflexively “clenched in a fist that suddenly didn’t belong to me anymore”.[10] Inouye’s horrified soldiers moved to his aid, but he shouted for them to keep back out of fear his severed fist would involuntarily relax and drop the grenade. As the German inside the bunker reloaded his rifle, Inouye pried the live grenade from his useless right hand and transferred it to his left. As the German aimed his rifle to finish him off, Inouye tossed the grenade off-hand into the bunker and destroyed it. He stumbled to his feet and continued forward, silencing the last German resistance with a one-handed burst from his Thompson before being wounded in the leg and tumbling unconscious to the bottom of the ridge. When he awoke to see the concerned men of his platoon hovering over him, his only comment before being carried away was to gruffly order them to return to their positions, since, as he pointed out, “nobody called off the war!”
idealstandard From France, joined Apr 2009, 353 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (5 months 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 1204 times:
Quoting casinterest (Reply 7): I like the one about the 2 half dollars saving his life as well.
"At one point while he was leading an attack, a shot struck him in the chest directly above his heart, but the bullet was stopped by the two silver dollars he happened to have stacked in his shirt pocket."
Ken777 From United States of America, joined Mar 2004, 7458 posts, RR: 5 Reply 11, posted (5 months 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 1178 times:
Daniel Inouye was one of those exceptional men of Congress who served so well that many people wouldn't know if he was a Democrat or Republican. He was an American first and a Hawaiian second.
One quote from his obituary in the WaPo, covering his speech at the '68 Democrat Convention seems pretty relevant today:
Quote:
It was a period of unrest after the assassinations of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.) and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Speaking not as a Democrat as much as a citizen disturbed by the violence, Sen. Inouye described a troubling “loss of faith” among Americans.
“I do not mean simply a loss of religious faith,” he said. “I mean a loss of faith in our country, its purposes and its institutions. I mean a retreat from the responsibilities of citizenship.”
aloha73g From United States of America, joined Jul 2003, 2303 posts, RR: 5 Reply 12, posted (4 months 3 weeks 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 893 times:
The 3 nominees selected by the Democratic Party to fill out his term until 2014 general election are:
1. Colleen Hanabusa - currently serving as US House Rep for District 1 - Urban Oahu/Honolulu & Inouye's choice to succeed him
2. Brian Schatz - currently serving as Lt. Governor, former State House member & Obama campaign chair in Hawaii
3. Esther Kia'aina - currently serving as director of the State Dept of Land & Natural Resources, former aide to Sen Akaka, Sen Inouye & Chief of Staff to Rep Ed Case, unsuccessful 2012 candidate for Democratic nomination to US House District 2 - Rural Oahu & Neighbor Islands
Governor Abercrombie expected to announce his choice within the next hour.
-Aloha!
Aloha Airlines - The Spirit Moves Us. Gone but NEVER Forgotten. Aloha, A Hui Hou!
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