obituaries
Obituaries from page 65
to get that recognition because Japanese-
American servicemen were denied appro-
priate recognition for their heroism at the
time because of their race.
The badly injured Inouye — his arm
had been amputated in a field hospital
without anesthetic — was sent to recuper-
ate in Percy Jones Army Hospital in Battle
Creek, Mich., where he became friends
with two other wounded GIs who would
go on to be lifelong friends and serve with
him in the Senate, Bob Dole of Kansas
and Philip Hart of Michigan.
When he lost his arm he lost his dream
of becoming a surgeon and turned to pub-
lic service.
Inouye was elected the first full mem-
ber of Congress from his native Hawaii
in 1959. He was also the first Japanese-
American in the House and later the first
in the Senate, eventually becoming the
highest-ranking Asian American politi-
cian in American history.
Throughout his career he enjoyed close
ties to the Jewish community, in Hawaii
and nationally, and was consistently
one of Israel's staunchest supporters.
His combat experience as a member of
the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a
segregated Japanese-American unit, in
Sen. Daniel Inouye
Europe in World War II and learning
about the Holocaust affected his world-
view. Recovering after the war, he studied
Jewish history and became a registered
Israel Bonds salesman.
Tom Dine, the former executive direc-
tor of AIPAC, said, "He was a man who
saw two injustices — genocide against
Native Americans and against Europe's
Jews — and he wanted to make sure the
Native Americans got help in their resto-
ration and that Israel had America's sup-
port in securing itself against those who
did not wish Israel's population well and
who wished the nation-state did not exist.
He believed in Israel's nobility"
One of the last of the Greatest
Generation, he saw the Jewish state come
into existence and fight for its survival,
and he played an important role for more
than half a century.
His voice on Israel-related issues car-
ried considerable weight in the Senate,
not only because he was held in high
esteem by his colleagues but also because
there was no doubt that his personal
political fate was not dependent on Jewish
votes or money.
Many Jewish groups also admired him
for his relative progressivism, including
reproductive rights and civil liberties.
His Senate office was filled with
plaques, pictures, awards and memorabil-
ia testifying to his support for Israel and
the affection and admiration of Israel's
friends and supporters. One of those
mementos was an Israeli battle flag he had
asked me to get for him.
Ambassador Dan Halperin, a friend of
the senator since his days as the Israeli
finance ministry's man in Washington,
said, "His commitment to Israel, espe-
cially to its security, was unwavering and
even at times in which budget constraints
were in the forefront, he insisted that
security assistance to Israel remain intact.
I believe that his personal history as a
soldier and as a person who saw persecu-
tion based on race made him a staunch
ally of a young and beleaguered democ-
racy, which fights for survival in a hostile
region"
He was not one of those Senate moths
drawn to the light of a camera or micro-
phone; he rarely made floor speeches or
held press conferences.
The National Jewish Democratic
Council called him "a true mentsh in
every sense of the word"
His former Senate colleagues Barack
Obama and Joe Biden were among the
many who paid tribute.
"Our country has lost a true American
hero," said the president.
"Danny was courage personified" Biden
said, displaying heroism on the battle-
fields of World II and "incredible moral
bravery" in the Senate.
His last word, according to his staff, was
"Aloha"
Shalom, Danny.
❑
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66 December 27 • 2012
Obituaries