Sen. Daniel K. Inouye died Monday evening in Washington D.C. He was 88.
Sen. Daniel K. Inouye died Monday evening in Washington D.C. He was 88.
Inouye died from respiratory complications at 5:01 p.m. Eastern Standard Time today at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Inouye’s staff confirmed.
His wife Irene and his son Ken were at his side. Last rites were performed by Senate Chaplain Dr. Barry Black.
He is survived by his wife, Irene Hirano Inouye, his son Daniel Ken Inouye Jr., Ken’s wife Jessica, and granddaughter Maggie and step-daughter Jennifer Hirano. He was preceded in death his first wife, Maggie Awamura.
Inouye began his career in public service at 17, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army shortly after Imperial Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He served with ‘E’ company of the 442 Regimental Combat Team, a group consisting entirely of Americans of Japanese ancestry. Inouye lost his arm charging a series of machine gun nests on a hill in San Terenzo, Italy on April 21, 1945. His actions during that battle earned him the Medal of Honor.
He ran for the Senate in 1962 where he served for nearly nine consecutive terms.