World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseDaniel Ken Inouye was born in Honolulu, US Territory of Hawaii to Japanese-Americans Hyotaro and Kame (née Imanaga) Inouye. He grew up in the Bingham Tract neighborhood and attended President William McKinley High School. During the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, he volunteered as a medical worker to treat the wounded. In 1943, when the US government allowed Japanese-Americans to participate in military service, he put his premedical studies at University of Hawaii on hold and enlisted in the US Army. As a platoon leader of 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which was consisted entirely of nisei ("second generation") Japanese-Americans, he saw action in Italy in 1944 and 1945 and later received a field promotion to the rank of second lieutenant. On 21 Apr 1945, at the Colle Musatello ridge near San Terenzo in the Toscana region of Italy, his platoon was pinned down by three German machine gun positions. Despite a bullet wound in the stomach, he destroyed the first position and led his men to destroy the second position before collapsing from blood loss. When he learned that his men had distracted the third machine gun crew, Inouye crawled toward the position to throw a grenade into it. In the process, he was shot in the right elbow with a rifle-fired grenade, severing his arm. Again ignore his own injuries, he jumped toward his severed arm, retrieved the primed grenade from the still-closed hand, threw the grenade into the third machine gun position, fired several rounds into the position from his Thompson submachine gun, and was stopped after being wounded again, this time in the leg. He survived these injuries and was discharged from the US Army in 1947 at the rank of captain. He received the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Distinguished Service Cross medals for his WW2 service.

ww2dbaseWith only one arm, Inouye abandoned his plans to become a surgeon, and instead graduated University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1950 with a degree in political science. In 1953, he earned a law degree from The George Washington University Law School in Washington DC, United States. Later in 1953, he was elected to the Hawaii territorial House of Representatives. In 1957, he was elected to the Hawaii territorial senate. When the Territory of Hawaii became a state in the United States, he entered the House of Representatives of the US Congress. In 1962, he was elected to the Senate of the US Congress; he would be re-elected eight times to this position. As a senator, he was involved in the Senate Watergate Committee and chaired the Committee on Indian Affairs domestically, and was vocal in the Iran-Contra episode and was a stern supporter of the Republic of China at Taiwan in international politics. In 2000, US President Bill Clinton upgraded his Distinguished Service Cross medal to a Medal of Honor, the highest honor bestowed upon an American military serviceman. In 2009, he became the chair to the Senate Committee on Appropriations, followed by becoming President pro tempore of the US Senate in 2010. In 2010, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun by the Emperor of Japan; in the following year, he would again receive a Japanese award, the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers. He also received high honors from the Philippines. He passed away from respiratory problems at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC, United States in Dec 2012. US President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner, and former President Bill Clinton spoke at his funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral. He was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States.

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1.  David Stubblebine says:
20 Feb 2013 08:27:13 PM

Daniel Inouye’s Medal of Honor citation:
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.