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99-629: The museum chronicles the history of the United States Army Infantry from the American Revolution to current operations. It exhibits artifacts from all eras of American history and contains interactive multimedia exhibits. The National Infantry Museum emphasizes the values that are meant to define the Infantry, as well as the nation: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. In addition to galleries,

198-567: A Sansei (third-generation) through his mother. Daniel was named after Kame's adoptive father. Inouye grew up in Bingham Tract, a Chinese-American enclave in Honolulu. He was raised Christian, and was the oldest of four children. As a child, Inouye collected homing pigeons , which were hatched from eggs given to him at an army base in Schofield Barracks in return for Inouye cleaning

297-474: A 1975 incident wherein she was placed on an errand to his apartment, which he denied. Although reaching press nationally, consensus was that Hawaii's culture of silence towards indiscretions of those in power, prevailed. A Senate ethics committee review was dropped in 1993 over lack of participation or refusal to be publicly identified by accusers. In 2014, two years after Inouye's death, senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York wrote in her autobiography about

396-567: A background check on Inouye from the Federal Bureau of Investigation . Johnson told Humphrey that Inouye's World War II injuries would silence Humphrey's critics on the Vietnam War : "He answers Vietnam with that empty sleeve. He answers your problems with (Republican presumptive presidential nominee and former vice president Richard) Nixon with that empty sleeve", Johnson said. Humphrey eventually chose Edmund Muskie as his running mate, and lost

495-501: A birth complication on November 10, 1933. After their death the children traveled to Japan to live with their Father. The two oldest brother would eventually return to live in America, where they felt most at home. Once World War II broke out and the attack on Pearl Harbor commenced, contact between the separated family ceased.The two Akune brothers in the U.S. were among 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry imprisoned in relocation centers during

594-480: A child. His mother, Kame ( née Imanaga) Inouye, was a homemaker born on Maui to Japanese immigrants. Her parents died young and she was adopted and raised by a family in Honolulu. Both of Daniel's parents were Christian, and met at the River Street Methodist Church in Honolulu. They married in 1923. This heritage makes Daniel a Nisei (second-generation Japanese-American) through his father and

693-427: A fighting unit, and in time, the 100th/442nd became, for its size and length of service, the most decorated unit in U.S. military history . The Nisei 522nd Field Artillery Battalion was organized as part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team; but towards the end of the war, the 522nd became a roving battalion, shifting to whatever command most needed the unit. The 522nd had the distinction of liberating survivors of

792-419: A late-night simulcast to Hawaii, he asked her if she was hungry, and offered her a ride, inviting her to a late dinner in his room. Upon arriving in the room, he requested she sit next to him on the bed. She complied but immediately stood away, and called a fellow female staffer to join her there. Shortly thereafter, Inouye tried to bring his hand under her skirt while the two were riding together in an automobile;

891-414: A male colleague who squeezed her waist and commented: "Don't lose too much weight now. I like my girls chubby!" Although not named in the autobiography, The New York Times identified Inouye as the perpetrator, setting off national discussion of Inouye's past. In 2017, discussion resurfaced in local Hawaii media about the power of Inouye, and hence deference given to him politically and publicly, with

990-575: A message describing Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto 's flight plans, which led to P-38 Lightning fighter planes shooting down his plane over the Solomon Islands . When Merrill's Marauders were organized to conduct long range penetration special operations jungle warfare deep behind Japanese lines in the China-Burma-India Theater in January 1944, fourteen MIS linguists were assigned to

1089-563: A patient at the hospital after sustaining injuries on D-Day . Inouye was honorably discharged with the rank of captain in May 1947 after 20 months of rehabilitation. At the time, he was a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal , Distinguished Service Cross , and three Purple Hearts . Many in his regiment believed that, were he not Japanese-American, he would have been awarded the Medal of Honor ,

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1188-636: A posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Order of the Paulownia Flowers . Among other public structures, Honolulu International Airport has since been renamed Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in his memory. Daniel Ken Inouye was born in Honolulu , Territory of Hawaii on September 7, 1924. His father, Hyotaro Inouye, was a jeweler who had immigrated to Hawaii from Japan as

1287-536: A record tenth term in 2016 when he would have been 92 years old. Inouye also said, I have told my staff and I have told my family that when the time comes, when you question my sanity or question my ability to do things physically or mentally, I don't want you to hesitate, do everything to get me out of here, because I want to make certain the people of Hawaii get the best representation possible. In 1986, West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd opted to run for Senate Majority Leader, believing that his two opponents to claiming

1386-759: A segregated corps, but instead were spread out and served alongside other ethnic groups. The idea of female auxiliary service was still new at this time (the Women's Army Corps was only nine months old when it opened its ranks to Nisei volunteers), and these women were most often assigned to clerical duties or other "women's work." Additionally, WACs were often portrayed in media and propaganda as highly sexualized and were encouraged by male supervisors to play into this role. The Nisei WACs faced another difficulty in that they were expected to translate Japanese military documents; even those who were fluent in Japanese struggled to understand

1485-580: A waist-tail gunner in the 483rd Bomb Group. He spent 3 months as a German prisoner-of-war after his B17 was shot down on a bombing mission near Vienna, Austria. Like their male counterparts, Nisei women were at first prohibited from serving in the U.S. military; this changed in November 1943, and 142 young women volunteered to join the WAC. Because their number was relatively small, the Nisei WACs were not restricted to

1584-619: Is September 1943 and suffered horrific casualties and became known as the Purple Heart Battalion. As a result, the 1st Battalion of the 442nd began sending replacement troops to join the 100th in early 1944. The 2nd and 3rd Battalions shipped out on May 1, 1944, joining the 100th in Italy in June 1944. These men arrived in Europe after the 100th Infantry Battalion had already established its reputation as

1683-753: Is a National Park Service site to commemorate the experience of American citizens of Japanese ancestry and their parents who patriotically supported the United States despite unjust treatment during World War II . The Go for Broke Monument in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California , commemorates the Japanese Americans who served in the United States Army during World War II. The National Japanese American Veterans Memorial Court in Los Angeles lists

1782-547: The Honolulu Advertiser , Inouye was 24 years older than Hirano. On May 27, 2010, Hirano was elected chair of the nation's second largest non-profit organization, The Ford Foundation . Hirano outlived him by more than seven years; she died on April 7, 2020. Japanese American service in World War II During the early years of World War II , Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated from their homes on

1881-474: The #MeToo movement providing impetus for just one more of the nine accusers coming forward publicly. The former staffer told about how Inouye initiated with asking her to rub his shoulders in his office, continuing with him later trying to put his hand on her leg once when in an automobile. When she tried to stop him, he grabbed her hand. During a trip to the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, after

1980-500: The Abscam sting operation, Inouye delivered a closing defense argument stating the possibility of the Senate looking foolish in the event the conviction was reversed on appeal. Inouye confirmed that he had received telephone calls regarding Williams critiquing his remarks during his defense of himself the previous week and questioned if the Senate was going to punish him "because his presentation

2079-569: The Army Air Forces during World War II, one of them being Kenje Ogata. There was at least one Nisei , U.S. Army Air Forces Technical Sergeant Ben Kuroki , who participated initially in 35 missions as a dorsal turret gunner over Europe, followed by 28 bombing missions over mainland Japan and other locations in the Pacific Theater. Nisei Herbert Seijin Ginoza flew combat missions over Europe as

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2178-717: The Dachau concentration camp system from the Nazis on April 29, 1945. Nisei scouts west of Munich near the small Bavarian town of Lager Lechfeld encountered some barracks encircled by barbed wire. Technician Fourth Grade Ichiro Imamura described it in his diary: Holocaust historians have clarified the Nisei 522nd liberated about 3,000 prisoners at Kaufering IV in Hurlach . Hurlach was one of 169 subordinate slave labor camps of Dachau. Dachau, like Auschwitz , Buchenwald , Mauthausen and Ravensbrück ,

2277-535: The Giant Screen Theater , DownRange simulators, Fife and Drum Restaurant, Soldier Store and event rentals to cover operating expenses. The museum is located on a 155-acre campus adjacent to Fort Moore. The campus includes Inouye Field , sprinkled with soil from the battlegrounds of Yorktown, Antietam, Soissons, Normandy, Corregidor, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and a 2,100-seat stadium which hosts graduations of Army trainees. The graduations are open to

2376-465: The Medal of Honor (the nation's highest military award). Inouye later earned a J.D. degree from George Washington University Law School . Returning to Hawaii, Inouye was elected to Hawaii's territorial House of Representatives in 1953, and was elected to the territorial Senate in 1957. When Hawaii achieved statehood in 1959, Inouye was elected as its first member of the House of Representatives. He

2475-518: The Medal of Honor , was conferred upon one Nisei during the war, Sadao Munemori , after he sacrificed his life to save his fellow soldiers. Nineteen members of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team received Distinguished Service Crosses during or immediately after their World War II service, but in the 1990s, after a study revealed that racial discrimination had caused them to be overlooked , their awards were upgraded to Medals of Honor. In addition, one soldier who had received

2574-648: The Military Intelligence Service (MIS). The first class received their training at the Presidio in San Francisco, but in June 1942 the MIS Language School was moved to Camp Savage , Minnesota, which offered larger facilities, removed the complications of training Japanese-American students in an area they were technically prohibited from entering, and had less anti-Japanese prejudice. In August 1944,

2673-564: The Percy Jones Army Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan , to continue his rehabilitation for nine more months. While recovering there, Inouye met future Republican senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole , then a fellow patient. The two became friends and would often play bridge together. Dole shared with Inouye his long-term plans to attend law school and become an attorney, and later run for state legislature and eventually

2772-552: The Senate Commerce Committee between 2007 and 2009, and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee between 2009 and 2012. Inouye was reelected eight times, usually without serious difficulty. His closest race was in 1992 , when state senator Rick Reed held Inouye to 57 percent of the vote; this was the only time he received less than 69 percent of the vote. Inouye delivered the keynote address at

2871-577: The United States Congress . With Inouye's plans to become a surgeon dashed due to his injury, Dole's plans for a career in public service inspired Inouye to consider entering politics. Inouye ultimately beat Dole to congress. The two remained lifelong friends. In 2003, the hospital was renamed the Hart–Dole–Inouye Federal Center in honor of the two World War II veterans , as well as Democratic senator Philip Hart , who had been

2970-610: The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in September 1942 as a premedical student with the goal of becoming a surgeon. In March 1943, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the 442nd Regimental Combat Team , an all- Nisei combat unit. Inouye applied and was initially turned down because his work at the Red Cross was deemed critical, but was inducted later that month. The unit was composed of over 2,500 Nisei from Hawaii, and 800 from

3069-666: The West Coast because military leaders and public opinion combined to fan unproven fears of sabotage. As the war progressed, many of the young Nisei , Japanese immigrants' children who were born with American citizenship, volunteered or were drafted to serve in the United States military. Japanese Americans served in all the branches of the United States Armed Forces , including the United States Merchant Marine . An estimated 33,000 Japanese Americans served in

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3168-465: The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, while still a high school senior. The Japanese surprise attack brought the United States into World War II . Being a volunteer first aid instructor with the Red Cross , he was called on by his supervisor to report to a Red Cross station set up at Lunalilo Elementary School. There, Inouye tended to civilians injured by antiaircraft shells that had fallen into

3267-457: The election . According to his chief of staff, Jennifer Sabas, Inouye knew that he was being considered as a vice presidential pick, but was uninterested in the possibility, apparently content with his current position. Inouye's first wife was Margaret "Maggie" Shinobu Awamura, who was working as a speech instructor at the University of Hawaiʻi when Inouye was attending as a prelaw student after

3366-670: The liberation of Rome . Meanwhile, an earlier decision to demote Nisei soldiers to 4-C class (enemy aliens ineligible for military service because of nationality) was reversed, and the Army in January 1943 issued a call for Japanese-American volunteers. Most of the initial recruits came from Hawaii, as those on the mainland were reluctant to volunteer while they and their families remained in camp. The 2,686 accepted Hawaiians (out of 10,000 volunteers) and about 1,000 mainlanders were sent to Camp Shelby. The U.S. Army regiment served in Europe during World War II. Japanese Americans already in training at

3465-539: The 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion, and the Military Intelligence Service . The majority of Japanese Americans serving in the American Armed Forces during World War II enlisted in the army. The 100th Infantry Battalion was engaged in heavy action during the war taking part in multiple campaigns. The 100th was made up of Nisei who were originally members of the Hawaii National Guard. Sent to

3564-436: The 1st Battalion of the 141st Infantry Regiment , otherwise known as the " Lost Battalion ". Inouye received a battlefield commission to second lieutenant for his actions there, becoming the youngest officer in his regiment. During the battle, 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. He continued to carry

3663-609: The 2nd Armored Division at Fort Benning prior to his deployment to North Africa in 1942. The Vietnam Memorial Plaza contains a ¾-scale replica of the Vietnam Wall on the Mall in Washington, D.C. The Global War on Terrorism Memorial , dedicated in October 2017, includes the names of more than 7,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines killed in action since 9/11. A 13-foot steel beam pulled from

3762-641: The 442nd including Col Virgil R. Miller advocated on the behalf of the Nisei in Chicago to be allowed to form their own American Legion post 1183 in 1946, while Alva Fleming, a Navy veteran in Sacramento district leadership approved the charter for Nisei VFW Post 8985 in 1947. Fleming would go on to become the VFW State Commander for California and was instrumental in founding a total of 14 segregated Nisei VFW posts in

3861-500: The Army to manage the facility and its contents. The National Infantry Museum does not receive federal, state or city funding. Through its lease agreement with the National Infantry Museum Foundation, the Army reimburses the foundation for approximately 30 percent of the museum’s annual operating expenses. There is no admission fee. The museum relies on donations, memberships and revenue-generating attractions such as

3960-744: The Democratic Party could help Japanese Hawaiians achieve social and economic reform. During these years, Inouye met speech instructor Margaret Awamura at the university, whom he married in 1948. After graduating in 1950, Inouye moved with his wife to Washington D.C. so he could continue his studies at George Washington University Law School . While there, Inouye volunteered at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters to gain more experience to bring back with him to Hawaii. Inouye earned his J.D. degree in two years, and moved back with his wife to Hawaii in late 1952. Inouye spent

4059-640: The Fourth District. The election came to be known as the Hawaii Democratic Revolution of 1954 , as the long-entrenched Republican control of the Hawaii Territorial Legislature abruptly ended with a wave of Democratic candidates taking their seats. The election also filled the legislature with Japanese-American politicians, who previously held few seats. Inouye was immediately elected majority leader. He served two terms there, and

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4158-613: The Japanese and often encountering former friends on the battlefield. Japanese-American MIS linguists translated Japanese documents known as the " Z Plan ", which contained Japan's counterattack strategy in the Central Pacific . This information led to Allied victories at the Battle of the Philippine Sea , in which the Japanese lost most of their aircraft carrier planes, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf . An MIS radio operator intercepted

4257-485: The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center also consists of: Until April 2008, the museum was housed in the former Fort Benning Post Hospital. Space and conditions for the museum’s collection was inadequate. In 1998, the 501(c)(3) National Infantry Foundation [1] was formed to plan, raise funds for and to operate a new museum. The National Infantry Museum Foundation has since formed a formal partnership with

4356-490: The Purple Heart invited Nisei into their ranks, however they did not offer the same facilities and benefits as the larger organizations. Some of the first memorials to the Nisei were created by 442nd and MIS veterans themselves, in the creation of the many Nisei American Legion, VFW, and independent memorial posts around the country, dedicated to their fallen brothers in arms. The nation's highest award for combat valor,

4455-702: The Senate Intelligence Committee's report on the Central Intelligence Agency. On November 20, 1993, Inouye voted against the North American Free Trade Agreement . The trade agreement linked the United States, Canada, and Mexico into a single free trade zone and was signed into law on December 8 by President Bill Clinton . In 2009, Inouye assumed leadership of the powerful Senate Committee on Appropriations after longtime chairman Robert Byrd stepped down. Following

4554-561: The Senate's debate over bestowing reparations to Japanese-Americans interned during World War II, Inouye delivered his first public speech on the issue and noted $ 22,000 were bestowed to each captive American in the Iran hostage crisis . In October 2002, Inouye was one of 23 senators who voted against authorization of the use of military force in Iraq . In March 1982, amid controversy surrounding Democratic Senator Harrison A. Williams ' taking bribes in

4653-751: The Silver Star had his award upgraded to the Medal Honor. On October 5, 2010, Congress approved the granting of the Congressional Gold Medal to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the 100th Infantry Battalion, as well as the 6,000 Japanese Americans who served in the Military Intelligence Service during the war. The Nisei Soldiers of World War II Congressional Gold Medal was collectively presented on November 2, 2011. The Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II in Washington, D.C.

4752-430: The U.S. military during World War II, of which 20,000 joined the Army. Approximately 800 were killed in action. The 100th Battalion and the 442nd Infantry Regiment became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history . The related 522nd Field Artillery Battalion liberated one or more subcamps of the infamous Dachau concentration camp . Other Japanese-American units also included the 100th Infantry Battalion ,

4851-530: The USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay . Sakamoto was one of three Japanese Americans to be on board the USS Missouri when the Japanese formally surrendered . Arthur S. Komori served as personal interpreter for Brig. Gen. Elliot R. Thorpe. Kay Kitagawa served as personal interpreter of Fleet Admiral William Halsey Jr. Kan Tagami served as personal interpreter-aide for General Douglas MacArthur . Journalist Don Caswell

4950-531: The acceptance of the Senate's defense appropriations subcommittee for an amendment meant to cure mainland milk arriving at Hawaiian and Alaskan military bases sour, arguing thousands of gallons of milk coming from the mainland must be dumped due to their souring and said shipments were arriving eight days after pasteurization. In February 1989, after Oliver North went on trial in Federal District Court amid accusations that he illegally diverted profits from

5049-406: The affair, Inouye made reference to the Nuremberg trials, provoking a heated interruption from North's attorney Brendan Sullivan , an exchange that was widely repeated in the media at the time. He was also seen as a pro- Taiwan senator and helped in forming the Taiwan Relations Act . On May 1, 1977, Inouye stated that President Carter had telephoned him to express his objections to a sentence in

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5148-507: The attitudes of the general population in much of the U.S. towards people of Japanese ancestry. Veterans came home to signs that read "No Japs Allowed" and "No Japs Wanted", the denial of service in shops and restaurants, and the vandalism of their homes and property. Initially, many veterans' organizations such as the VFW and the American Legion refused to allow Nisei veterans into existing posts and some even removed Japanese-American soldiers from their honor rolls. White officers from

5247-626: The city. After the United States declared war on Japan the next day, Inouye took up a paid job from his Red Cross supervisor to work there as a medical aide. For the rest of his senior year, Inouye attended school during the day, and worked at the Red Cross station at night. He graduated from McKinley High School in 1942. Although Inouye wanted to join the armed forces after graduating, Japanese-Americans had been excluded. The United States Department of War had declared all Japanese-Americans as " enemy aliens ", which stipulated they could not volunteer or be drafted for military service. Inouye enrolled at

5346-446: The coins throughout the war in his shirt pocket as good luck charms, but lost them later, shortly before the battle in which he lost his arm. The 442nd spent the next several months near Nice , guarding the French-Italian border until early 1945, when they were called to Northern Italy to assist with an assault on German strongholds in the Apennine Mountains . On April 21, 1945, Inouye was grievously wounded while leading an assault on

5445-606: The coops. As a teenager, he worked on the local beaches teaching tourists how to surf. Inouye's parents raised him and his siblings with a mix of American and Japanese customs. His parents spoke English at home, but had their children attend a private Japanese language school in addition to public school. Inouye dropped out of the Japanese school in 1939 because he disagreed with his instructor's anti-American rhetoric, and focused on his studies at President William McKinley High School . Inouye intended to go to college and medical school after his planned 1942 graduation. Inouye witnessed

5544-604: The country's foreign policy interests in the event of the shipments causing environmental damage. In March 1981, Inouye was one of 24 elected officials to issue a joint statement calling on the Reagan administration to compose a method of finding a peaceful solution that would end The Troubles in Northern Ireland. In July 1981, a Federal commission began hearings to decide on rewarding compensations to Japanese-Americans placed in internment camps during World War II, Inouye and fellow Hawaii Senator Spark M. Matsunaga delivering opening statements. In November, during an appearance at

5643-414: The date of the liberation of the camp, but on April 28, 1945. Two jeeps of forward observers with 522nd Field Artillery Battalion Captain Charles Feibleman, Kelly Nakamura (Driver), George Oide, Kenzo Okubo, Mike Hara, arrived first at the gates of Dachau but were told to wait for back up since the SS were still in the towers.<ref. Charles B. Feibleman> Approximately 6,000 Japanese Americans served in

5742-446: The financial benefits of the G.I. Bill to fund his education. When not in class, he volunteered for the Democratic Party at the Honolulu County Democratic Committee. Inouye had been talked into joining the party by John A. Burns , a former police captain and future governor, who had ties to the Japanese American community. Though the territory of Hawaii had been politically dominated by the Republican Party, Burns convinced Inouye that

5841-410: The financing of highway repairs and mass transit. The bill passed on the last day of the 97th United States Congress . In March 1984, Inouye voted against a constitutional amendment authorizing periods in public schools for silent prayer and against President Reagan's unsuccessful proposal for a constitutional amendment permitting organized school prayer in public schools. In August, Inouye secured

5940-572: The grenade amputated most of his right arm at the elbow. The nature of the injury caused Inouye's arm muscles to involuntarily squeeze the grenade tightly via a reflex arc , preventing his arm from going limp and dropping a live grenade at his feet. This injury left Inouye disabled, in terrible pain, under fire with minimal cover and staring at a live grenade "clenched in a fist that suddenly didn't belong to me anymore." Inouye's platoon moved to his aid, but Inouye shouted for them to keep back out of fear his severed fist would involuntarily relax and drop

6039-461: The grenade. As the German inside the bunker began reloading his rifle with regular full metal jacket ammunition to finish off Inouye, Inouye pried the live hand grenade from his useless right hand with his left, and tossed it into the bunker, killing the German. Stumbling to his feet, Inouye continued forward, killing at least one more German before sustaining his fifth and final wound of the day in his left leg. Inouye fell unconscious, and awoke to see

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6138-415: The heavily defended Colle Musatello ridge near San Terenzo , Italy. The ridge served as a strongpoint of the German fortifications known as the Gothic Line , the last and most unyielding line of German defensive works in Italy. During a flanking maneuver against German machine gun nests, Inouye was shot in the stomach from 40 yards away. Ignoring his wound, Inouye proceeded with the attack and together with

6237-791: The language school was moved again to Fort Snelling . Most of the MIS Language School graduates were attached to the Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS) as linguists and in other non-combatant roles, interpreting captured enemy documents and interrogating prisoners of war . Graduates from the MISLS included Japanese-American women translators as well. (At the end of the war, MIS linguists had translated 18,000 enemy documents, created 16,000 propaganda leaflets and interrogated over 10,000 Japanese POWs.) However, MIS servicemen were present at every major battle against Japanese forces, and those who served in combat faced extremely dangerous and difficult conditions, sometimes coming under friendly fire from U.S. soldiers unable to distinguish them from

6336-533: The latter's death on June 28, 2010, Inouye was elected President pro tempore , the officer third in the presidential line of succession . In 2010, Inouye announced his decision to run for a ninth term. He easily won the Democratic primary—the real contest in heavily Democratic Hawaii — and then won against Republican state representative Campbell Cavasso with 74 percent of the vote. Inouye ran for Senate Majority Leader several times without success. Prior to his death, Inouye announced that he planned to run for

6435-402: The liberation of Rome . Inouye was promoted to sergeant within the first three months of fighting in the Italian countryside north of Rome. The 442nd was then sent to eastern France, where they seized the towns of Bruyères , Belmont , and Biffontaine from the Germans. In late October, the regiment was transferred to the Vosges Mountains region of France, where they rescued 211 members of

6534-505: The mainland as the Hawaii Provisional Infantry Battalion on June 5, 1942, the 1,432 original members of the 100th were stationed first at Camp McCoy and later at Camp Shelby for combat training. Their exemplary military record, and the patriotic activities of the Varsity Victory Volunteers , paved the way for the creation of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in January 1943. The Battalion shipped out in August 1943, landing in North Africa before fighting in Italy, eventually participating in

6633-412: The mainland. Inouye went with his unit in April to Camp Shelby in Mississippi for a 10-month training period, postponing his medical studies. While in Mississippi, the unit visited the Rohwer War Relocation Center in Arkansas , where Inouye witnessed the internment of Japanese Americans first hand. The 442nd shipped off to Italy in May 1944 after the conclusion of their training, shortly before

6732-451: The military language, and eventually some were sent to the Military Intelligence Language School for training. The 442nd marched down Constitution Avenue to the Ellipse south of the White House on July 15, 1946, where President Truman honored the regiment with a Presidential Unit Citation saying, "You fought not only the enemy, but you fought prejudice--and you have won." However, the unit's service and decorations still did not change

6831-420: The nation's highest military award. Inouye eventually received the Medal of Honor on June 21, 2000, from President Bill Clinton , along with 19 other Japanese American servicemen in the 442nd. Inouye decided to study law hoping it would lead him into a political career. He enrolled at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in late 1947 as a prelaw student, majoring in government and economics. Inouye relied on

6930-422: The next year studying for the Hawaii bar exam and volunteering with the Democratic Party. After passing the bar exam in August 1953, Inouye was appointed assistant public prosecutor for the city and county of Honolulu by the city mayor and fellow Democrat John Wilson . At the urging of Burns, Inouye successfully ran for the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives in the November 1954 election, representing

7029-531: The opening of a 10-day public forum at Tufts University on Japanese internment, Inouye stated his opposition to distributing reparation fees for Japanese-Americans previously incarcerated during World War II, adding that it "would be insulting even to try to do so." In August 1988, Inouye attended President Reagan's signing of legislation apologizing for the internment camps and establishing a $ 1.25 billion trust fund to pay reparations to both those who were placed in camps and to their families. In September 1989, during

7128-406: The operations that had been revealed as a "secret government", saying: [There exists] a shadowy Government with its own Air Force, its own Navy, its own fundraising mechanism, and the ability to pursue its own ideas of the national interest, free from all checks and balances, and free from the law itself. Criticizing the logic of Marine Lt. Colonel Oliver North 's justifications for his actions in

7227-524: The position would be Inouye and Louisiana Senator J. Bennett Johnston . Cutting a deal with Inouye, Byrd pledged that he would step aside from the position in 1989 if Inouye supported him for Senate Majority Leader of the 100th United States Congress . Inouye accepted the offer and was given the chance to select the new Senate sergeant-at-arms. In early 1981, Inouye called for tighter restrictions on what Americans can ship overseas, citing his belief that American international stature would be harmed along with

7326-418: The public. World War II Company Street is a collection of seven buildings constructed at Fort Benning from 1940–1942. They have been refurbished as they were in the 1940s and are open for tours on weekends & by special arrangement. The buildings include a chapel, barracks, mess hall, orderly room, supply room, and the sleeping quarters and headquarters building used by Gen. George Patton while he commanded

7425-650: The secret sale of arms to Iran to the Nicaraguan rebels, Jack Brooks , then-chair of the House Oversight Committee , questioned North's role in composing a "contingency plan in the event of an emergency that would suspend the American Constitution." Inouye replied that the inquiry touched on a classified and sensitive matter that would only be discussed in a closed session. In 1992, Inouye's hairdresser made allegations of sexual misconduct initiating with

7524-617: The staffer thwarted Inouye's advances with her hand. The corroborator of her story requested to remain anonymous. A state lawmaker, who learned about the 1992 accusations through a PBS television program, questioned the 2016 renaming of the Honolulu International Airport after Inouye. They declined seeking the renaming while receiving criticism from within and outside the Hawaii Democratic party for labeling Inouye as "an accused serial rapist." On May 23, 2005, Inouye

7623-509: The start of the war had been removed from active duty shortly after Pearl Harbor , and the Army stopped accepting new Nisei recruits in early 1942. However, community leaders in Hawaii as well as Japanese-American leaders like Mike Masaoka along with War Department officials like John J. McCloy soon began to push the Roosevelt administration to allow Nisei to serve in combat. A military board

7722-486: The state. Veterans in the Pacific Northwest were unable to find any post willing to accept them, and eventually formed their own independent "Nisei Veterans Committee" . Although VFW National leadership condemned the actions of local posts, their bylaws promoted autonomy in individual posts and were powerless to prevent the discrimination. Smaller organizations such as American Veterans Committee and Military Order of

7821-447: The three most conservative Bush appellate court nominees ( Janice Rogers Brown , Priscilla Owen , and William H. Pryor Jr. ) would receive a vote by the full U.S. Senate. Inouye never lost an election. In August 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson placed a phone call to vice president and Democratic presumptive presidential nominee Hubert Humphrey , urging him to select Inouye as his running mate. Johnson went as far as to request

7920-595: The turbulent 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and gained national attention for his service on the Senate Watergate Committee . Inouye was also involved in the Iran-Contra investigations of the 1980s, chairing a special committee ( Senate Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran and the Nicaraguan Opposition ) from 1987 until 1989. During the hearings, Inouye referred to

8019-401: The unit, destroyed the first two machine gun nests. As his squad distracted the third machine gunner, the injured Inouye crawled toward the final bunker and came within 10 yards. As he prepared to toss a grenade within, a German soldier fired out a 30 mm Schiessbecher antipersonnel rifle grenade at Inouye, striking Inouye in the right elbow. Although it failed to detonate, the blunt force of

8118-568: The unit, including Army Rangers and Military Intelligence Hall of Fame inductee Roy Matsumoto . The Nisei under Merrill's command proved themselves particularly intrepid and helpful, venturing into the enemy lines and translating audible commands to counterattacks, and shouting conflicting commands to the Japanese, throwing them into confusion. They soon became the best known Nisei in the war against Japan. The War Relocation Authority used their story to impress other Americans with Nisei valor and loyalty, even placing stories in local newspapers as

8217-668: The war waned in 1945 and the WRA prepared to release the Japanese-Americans back into their communities. Over 5,000 Japanese Americans served in the occupation of Japan. Dozens of MIS graduates served as translators, interpreters, and investigators in the International Military Tribunal for the Far East . Thomas Sakamoto served as press escort during the occupation of Japan. He escorted American correspondents to Hiroshima, and

8316-675: The war. The two married on June 12, 1948, at the Harris Memorial Methodist Church in Honolulu. She died of cancer on March 13, 2006. On May 24, 2008, Inouye married Irene Hirano in a private ceremony in Beverly Hills, California . Hirano was president and founding chief executive officer of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California. She resigned the position at the time of her marriage, in order to be closer to her husband. According to

8415-539: The war. They were also among the 16,000 who eventually served the U.S. overseas in the war. Japanese Americans were generally forbidden to fight a combat role in the Pacific theatre ; although no such limitations were placed on Americans of German or Italian ancestry who fought against the Axis powers . Up to this point, the United States government has only been able to find records of five Japanese Americans who were members of

8514-532: The worried men of his platoon hovering over him. His only comment before being carried away was to gruffly order them back to their positions, saying "Nobody called off the war!" By the end of the day, the ridge had fallen to American control, without the loss of any soldiers in Inouye's platoon. The remainder of Inouye's mutilated right arm was later amputated at a field hospital without proper anesthesia, as he had been given too much morphine at an aid station and it

8613-679: The wreckage of the World Trade Center and donated to the museum by New York City firefighters is featured in the design of the memorial. The museum received a Thea Award for excellence from the Themed Entertainment Association in 2011, USA Today’s 2016, 2020 and 2021 Readers’ Choice Award for Best Free Museum, and TripAdvisor’s Hall of Fame recognition for continued excellence. Daniel Inouye Daniel Ken Inouye ( / iː ˈ n oʊ ˌ eɪ / ee- NOH -ay , Japanese : 井上 建 , September 7, 1924 – December 17, 2012)

8712-581: Was a member of a bipartisan group of 14 moderate senators, known as the Gang of 14 , to forge a compromise on the Democrats' use of the judicial filibuster , thus blocking the Republican leadership's attempt to implement the " nuclear option ", a means of forcibly ending a filibuster. Under the agreement, the Democrats would retain the power to filibuster a Bush judicial nominee only in an "extraordinary circumstance", and

8811-569: Was accompanied by a Nisei interpreter to Fuchū Prison , where the Japanese government imprisoned communists Tokuda Kyuichi , Yoshio Shiga , and Shiro Mitamura. The Akune family consisted of four brothers and four sisters. The brothers fought on opposing sides during World War II. Two of the brothers fought for the U.S. Another one served in the Japanese Imperial Army. Their parent, Ichiro, and Yukiye Akune immigrated to California, U.S.A., in 1918. They lost their mother and unborn brother in

8910-626: Was an American attorney, soldier, and politician who served as a United States senator from Hawaii from 1963 until his death in 2012. A Medal of Honor recipient, Inouye began his political career in territorial government. In 1959 he was elected as the first U.S. Representative for the State of Hawaii. A member of the Democratic Party , he also served as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate from 2010 until his death. Inouye

9009-641: Was convened in June 1942 to address the issue, but their final report opposed forming a Nisei unit, citing "the universal distrust in which they [Japanese Americans] are held." Despite resistance from military and War Relocation Authority leaders, the President eventually sided with the War Department, and on February 1, 1943, Roosevelt announced the creation of a segregated unit composed of Nisei soldiers and commanded by white officers. The 100th Infantry Battalion composed of men from Hawaii entered combat in Italy

9108-412: Was elected to the Hawaii territorial senate in 1957. Midway through Inouye's first term, Hawaii achieved statehood . He won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives as Hawaii's first full member, and took office August 21, 1959, the same date Hawaii became a state. Inouye was re-elected in 1960. In 1962, Inouye was elected to the U.S. Senate, succeeding retiring fellow Democrat Oren E. Long . Inouye

9207-513: Was feared any more would lower his blood pressure enough to kill him. The war in Europe ended on May 8, less than three weeks later. Shortly before the Japanese surrender and end of World War II in August 1945, Inouye was shipped back to the United States to recover for eleven months at a rehabilitation center for wounded soldiers in Atlantic City, New Jersey . In mid-1946, Inouye was transferred to

9306-448: Was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962. He never lost an election in 58 years as an elected official, and he exercised an exceptionally large influence on Hawaii politics. At the time of his death, Inouye was the last remaining U.S. Senator to have served during the presidencies of John F. Kennedy , Lyndon B. Johnson , and Richard Nixon . Inouye was the second Asian American senator, following Hawaii Republican Hiram Fong . Inouye

9405-489: Was rambling, not in the tradition of Daniel Webster " and for his wife believing in him. In October 1982, after President Reagan appointed two new members to the board of the Legal Services Corporation, Inouye was one of 32 Senators to sign a letter expressing grave concerns over the appointments. On December 23, Inouye voted against a 5 cent a gallon increase in gasoline taxes across the U.S. imposed to aid

9504-487: Was surrounded by hundreds of sub-camps. Only three days later, the survivors of a death march southwards from Dachau towards the Austrian border were found by troops of the 522nd just west of the village of Waakirchen , and cared for them until dedicated medical personnel took over. Pierre Moulin in his recent book 'Dachau, Holocaust and US Samurais' writes that the first Nisei arrived at Dachau's gate not on April 29,

9603-807: Was the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee between 1976 and 1979 and the chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee between 1987 and 1995. He introduced the National Museum of the American Indian Act in 1984 which led to the inauguration of the National Museum of the American Indian in 2004. Inouye was chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee between 2001 and 2003, chairman of

9702-506: Was the first Japanese American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first to serve in the U.S. Senate. Because of his seniority, Inouye became president pro tempore of the Senate following the death of Robert Byrd on June 28, 2010, making him third in the presidential line of succession after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Inouye was

9801-490: Was the highest-ranking Asian-American politician in U.S. history until Kamala Harris was elected as vice president in 2020. Inouye also chaired various Senate committees , including those on Intelligence , Indian Affairs , Commerce , and Appropriations . Inouye fought in World War II as part of the 442nd Infantry Regiment . He lost his right arm to a grenade wound and received several military decorations, including

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