FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Daniel Inouye ~ January 14, 2013

Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The World !! | StarCMC

[Kathy in Alaska]

 

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!

For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday...
Thank the Veterans who served
in The United States Armed Forces.

Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States
Armed Forces Today!

---

~ Hall of Heroes ~

Daniel Inouye

Info from here.

           

Daniel Ken "Dan" Inouye (September 7, 1924 – December 17, 2012) was a Medal of Honor recipient and a United States Senator from Hawaii, a member of the Democratic Party, and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate from 2010 until his death in 2012, making him the highest-ranking Asian American politician in U.S. history. Inouye was the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations.

A senator since 1963, Inouye was the most senior U.S. senator at the time of his death. He was also the second-longest serving U.S. Senator in history after Robert Byrd. Inouye continuously represented Hawaii in the U.S. Congress since it achieved statehood in 1959 until the time of his death, serving as Hawaii's first U.S. Representative and later a senator. Inouye was the first Japanese American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and later the first in the U.S. Senate. Before then, he served in the Hawaii territorial house from 1954 to 1958 and the territorial senate from 1958 to 1959. He never lost an election in 58 years as an elected official. At the time of his death, Inouye was the second-oldest sitting U.S. senator, after Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey.

Because of his seniority, following Senator Byrd's death on June 28, 2010, Inouye became President pro tempore of the Senate; this made him third in the presidential line of succession after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Inouye was born on September 7, 1924, in Honolulu, Hawaii, the son of Kame (née Imanaga) and Hyotaro Inouye. He was a Nisei Japanese American, as the son of a Japanese immigrant father and a mother whose parents had also immigrated from Japan. He grew up in the Bingham Tract, a Chinese-American enclave within the predominantly Japanese American community of Mōʻiliʻili in Honolulu. He graduated from Honolulu's President William McKinley High School.

During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Inouye served as a medical volunteer.

In 1943, when the U.S. Army dropped its enlistment ban on Japanese Americans, Inouye curtailed his premedical studies at the University of Hawaii and enlisted in the Army. He volunteered to be part of the all-Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team. This army unit was mostly made up of second-generation Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland.

Inouye was promoted to the rank of sergeant within his first year, and he was given the role of platoon leader. He served in Italy in 1944 during the Rome-Arno Campaign before his regiment was transferred to the Vosges Mountains region of France, where he spent two weeks in the battle to relieve the Lost Battalion, a battalion of the 141st Infantry Regiment that was surrounded by German forces. He was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant for his actions there. 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. He continued to carry the coins throughout the war in his shirt pocket as good luck charms until he lost them shortly before the battle in which he lost his arm.

On April 21, 1945, Inouye was grievously wounded while leading an assault on a heavily-defended ridge near San Terenzo in Tuscany, Italy called Colle Musatello. The ridge served as a strongpoint along the strip of German fortifications known as the Gothic Line, which represented the last and most unyielding line of German defensive works in Italy. As he led his platoon in a flanking maneuver, three German machine guns opened fire from covered positions just 40 yards away, pinning his men to the ground. Inouye stood up to attack and was shot in the stomach; ignoring his wound, he proceeded to attack and destroy the first machine gun nest with hand grenades and fire from his Thompson submachine gun. After being informed of the severity of his wound by his platoon sergeant, he refused treatment and rallied his men for an attack on the second machine gun position, which he also successfully destroyed before collapsing from blood loss. Inouye as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army

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 the bunker 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". 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. While 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 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!"

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 was feared any more would lower his blood pressure enough to kill him.

Although Inouye had lost his right arm, he remained in the military until 1947 and was honorably discharged with the rank of captain. At the time of his leaving the Army, he was a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. Inouye was initially awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery in this action, with the award later being upgraded to the Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton (alongside 19 other Nisei servicemen who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and were believed to have been denied proper recognition of their bravery due to their race). His story, along with interviews with him about the war as a whole, were featured prominently in the 2007 Ken Burns documentary The War.

While recovering from war wounds and the amputation of his right forearm from the grenade wound at Percy Jones Army Hospital, Inouye met future Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, then a fellow patient. While at the same hospital, Inouye also met future fellow Democrat and Senator Philip Hart, who had been injured on D-Day. Dole mentioned to Inouye that after the war he planned to go to Congress; Inouye beat him there by a few years. The two remained lifelong friends. In 2003, the hospital was renamed the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center in honor of the three WWII veterans.

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.

On December 6, he was hospitalized at George Washington University Hospital so doctors could further regulate his oxygen intake, and was transferred to Walter Reed Medical Center on December 10. He died there of respiratory complications seven days later on December 17, 2012. According to the senator's Congressional web site, his last word was "Aloha". Prior to his death, Inouye left a letter encouraging Governor Neil Abercrombie to appoint Colleen Hanabusa to succeed Inouye should he become incapacitated; instead Abercrombie appointed Hawaii's Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Inouye's death on the floor of the Senate, referring to Inouye as "certainly one of the giants of the Senate." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell referred to Inouye as one of the finest senators in United States history. President Barack Obama referred to him as a "true American hero."

Inouye's body lay in state at the United States Capitol rotunda on December 20, 2012; only the 31st person – and first Asian-American – so honored. President Obama, former President Bill Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner spoke at a funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral on December 21. Inouye's body was then flown to Hawaii, where it lay in state at the Hawaii State Capitol on December 22. A second funeral service was held at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu the following day.

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission! 

[ConorMacNessa]

REQUEST PERMISSION TO COME ABOARD



GOD BLESS AND PROTECT OUR TROOPS AND OUR BELOVED NATION!!!





Boston, Oct. 21, 2009 - Boatswains Mate 2nd Class Philip Gagnon pipes as USS Constitution performs an underway demonstration in honor of the three-masted wooden frigate's 212th birthday. (U.S. Navy photo by Airman Mark Alexander/Released).
(Click for Bosun’s Whistle)



USS Constitution's 1812 Marine Guard fire vintage Springfield flintlock muskets during the ship's underway. "Old Ironsides" was underway for the "Constitution Day Cruise," which is conducted to thank the family and supporters of Constitution. U.S. Navy photo by Airman Nick Lyman (Released)

OUR TROOPS ROCK!!!!!!!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[BIGLOOK]

Aloha Night Owl! ((HUGS))

[HopeandGlory]

Good morning Troops, Veterans and Canteeners.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Our Flag Flying Proudly One Nation Under God

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Lord, Please Bless Our Troops, They're fighting for our Freedom.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

God Bless Our Republic

Prayers going up

[Kathy in Alaska]

Permission Granted!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

[ConorMacNessa]

Good evening, Kathy and Star !

***HUGS***



Thanks very much – coming aboard! Rendering Hand Salutes to our National Colors and to the Officer of the Deck!

And thanks very much for tonight’s Hall of Heroes thread! Capt. Daniel Inouye served our Nation with great distinction both in combat and in his long career as a legislator. He is a great American Patriot and is most welcome to join our Hall of Heroes!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Mac...*HUGS*...good resting today?

Rain here....the morning drive is going to be ugly. I’m leaving EARLY!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Aloha and good afternoon, Hawaii...((HUGS))

Daniel Inouye is from your “area”.

Hope all your mainlanders are well.....the flu and pneumonia seem to be everywhere.

Hope you are recovered from your cold...I’m still fighting not to get one, with mixed results.

[ConorMacNessa]

Not that much rest today - out the door to church in the a.m. - a couple of errands - then watched football. Good games today. John Man grilled an awesome quartet of T-Bones for us this evening.

Damp and chilly here today - in the mid-40's. The cold front is supposed to hit tomorrow.



Keep Faith with the Fallen of Benghazi! Let the Obama Regime, for once, tell the Truth!

Fiat Justitia, Ruat Coelum!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[ConorMacNessa]

Welcome To All Who Enter This Canteen, To Our Serving Military, To Our Veterans, To All Military Families, To Our FRiends and To Our Allies!



Missing Man Setting

“The Empty Chair”

By Captain Carroll “Lex” Lefon, USN (ret), on December 21st, 2004

“In the wardroom onboard the aircraft carrier from which I recently debarked was a small, round table, with single chair. No one ever sat there, and the reasons, both for the table being there, and for the fact that the chair was always empty, will tell the reader a little bit about who we are as a culture.The wardroom, of course, is where the officers will dine; morning, noon and evening. It is not only a place to eat – it is also a kind of oasis from the sometimes dreary, often difficult exigencies of the service. A place of social discourse, of momentary relief from the burdens of the day. The only things explicitly forbidden by inviolable tradition in the wardroom are the wearing of a cover or sword by an officer not actually on watch, or conversation which touches upon politics or religion. But aboard ships which observe the custom, another implicit taboo concerns the empty chair: No matter how crowded the room, no matter who is waiting to be seated, that chair is never moved, never taken.

The table is by the main entrance to the wardroom. You will see it when you enter, and you will see it when you leave. It draws your eyes because it is meant to. And because it draws your eyes it draws your thoughts. And though it will be there every day for as long as you are at sea, you will look at it every time and your eyes will momentarily grow distant as you think for a moment. As you quietly give thanks.

AS YOU REMEMBER.

The small, round table is covered with a gold linen tablecloth. A single place setting rests there, of fine bone china. A wineglass stands upon the table, inverted, empty. On the dinner plate is a pinch of salt. On the bread plate is a slice of lemon. Besides the plate lies a bible. There is a small vase with a single red rose upon the table. Around the vase is wound a yellow ribbon. There is the empty chair.

We will remember because over the course of our careers, we will have had the opportunity to enjoy many a formal evening of dinner and dancing in the fine company of those with whom we have the honor to serve, and their lovely ladies. And as the night wears on, our faces will in time become flushed with pleasure of each other’s company, with the exertions on the dance floor, with the effects of our libations. But while the feast is still at its best, order will be called to the room – we will be asked to raise our glasses to the empty table, and we will be asked to remember:

The table is round to show our everlasting concern for those who are missing. The single setting reminds us that every one of them went to their fates alone, that every life was unique.

The tablecloth is gold symbolizing the purity of their motives when they answered the call to duty.

The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each of the missing, and their loved ones who kept the faith.

The yellow ribbon around the vase symbolizes our continued determination to remember them.

The slice of lemon reminds us of the bitterness of their fate.
The salt symbolizes the tears shed by those who loved them.
The bible represents the faith that sustained them.
The glass is inverted — they cannot share in the toast.
The chair is empty — they are not here. They are missing.

And we will remember, and we will raise our glasses to those who went before us, and who gave all that they had for us. And a part of the flush in our faces will pale as we remember that nothing worth having ever came without a cost. We will remember that many of our brothers and sisters have paid that cost in blood. We will remember that the reckoning is not over.

We many of us will settle with our families into our holiday season, our Christmas season for those who celebrate it, content in our fortune and prosperity. We will meet old friends with smiles and laughter. We will meet our members of our family with hugs. We will eat well, and exchange gifts and raise our glasses to the year passed in gratitude, and to the year to come with hope. We will sleep the sleep of the protected, secure in our homes, secure in our homeland.

But for many families, there will be an empty chair at the table this year. A place that is not filled.

WE SHOULD REMEMBER.”

Thanks To Alfa6 For Finding The Narrative Of “The Empty Chair.”

Robert Schumann – “Traumerei”
(Click)

Never Forget The Brave Men And Women Who Gave Their Lives To Secure Our Freedom!!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[BIGLOOK]

Aloha again Night Owl! ((HUGS))

Yes, Dan Inouye's from here but hardly spent time here...no fault to him but just the allure of D.C I guess.

Got my flu shot a few days ago, figured this year wasn't the one to take a chance it would pass us by. Colds are a different virus altogether and the only common cure seems to be chicken soup for a week. Still have a couple calls to make

[Fiji Hill]

I'm going to be a party-pooper.

Yes, Inouye may have been a war hero, but his political career was less than illustrious. In 1964, he and his fellow Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee sandbagged an investigation of the Bobby Baker affair, a scandal which which might have endangered President Johnson's hopes for election to a full term. Yet a few years later, he and his fellow Democrats energetically probed the Watergate affair, a scandal that involved a Republican administration.

[ConorMacNessa]

MAY ALMIGHTY GOD UPHOLD AND DEFEND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!



This Nation is dearer to me than my own life.
I fought for it willingly and proudly, as my ancestors have done since the American Revolution, and as members of my family continue to do to this very day.



Memorial to Battery "C", 5th U.S. Artillery at Gettysburg, PA
My 3-greats grandfather, Cpl. William Murphy,
was wounded by shrapnel at the Clump of Trees
in Pickett’s Charge, July 3, 1863.

In the Second World War my Father, who enlisted in the Navy on his eighteenth birthday, and a veritable squad of my Uncles and Great Uncles served in the Army, The Army Air Force, and the Navy, both in the American Theatre and in Europe.

My Father was called up from the Reserves for the Korean War and served on board the USS Borie, DD-704 as a Radioman Third Class in the combat zone. The Borie was part of the armada that participated in the Hungnam Evacuation in December, 1950. He earned a commission as a Medical Service Corps Officer by examination in 1951 and remained in the Navy until his retirement in 1969.

In my youth, I spilled my blood for it on the Field of Battle, in a far-off land, in a war that was scorned by many of my contemporaries, a war in which we were victorious in every major engagement on the field, and a war in which we were betrayed by a coterie of spineless politicos, by The Fifth Column that masquerades as the media, by Academia, and by the Hollywood elite.

I was joined in that cause by my Father, who had boots on the ground in-country on several occasions in the early 60’s. I was likewise joined by several cousins in the Navy, Army, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.



In my old age, the jackals gather again, seeking once more to steal a victory won by another generation of Americans, seeking to change our Nation into a Socialist State in which we are all tools of the collective rather than free men and women, a State in which we will be little more than subjects rather than free and proud citizens. They seek by every artifice, scheme and fraud known to man to undo the American Revolution.



Though I am old and weak, I would willingly fight for our Beloved Nation once again, and, if necessary, give my life for it if doing so would advance the cause of Liberty.

I say this without boast or apology – I am no better or worse than the millions of American men and women who have answered the Nation’s call, and I am no hero. I am simply one of millions of Americans who did his or her duty when called upon by the Nation to do so. Many of my Comrades-in-Arms join in posting on this Forum.



The consequences of the recent election are unfolding on a daily basis. Those consequences include an intensified attack on our basic Freedoms, an increasing tax burden on the middle class and small business, and an increasingly aggressive endorsement of the Gay Agenda with its concomitant attack on traditional marriage and our dearly held family values.

Now is not the time for despair; it is not the time for surrender. Now is rather the time to reaffirm with resolve our core values: individual liberty, self-reliance and personal responsibility, the sanctity of human life, Love of God and Country, and Courage in the face of great Peril. These are the values that made this Nation great, the values that sustained it through over two centuries of wars, economic upheaval and civil unrest. These are the values that are anathema to the left, the values that contemporary society has largely abandoned, and the values that we must proclaim anew.

There are those who say they will discourage their sons and daughters from serving in our military because of the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” and the advance of the Gay Agenda under this Regime. This course of action will ensure the imminent subversion and effective dismantling of our military. I will not countenance the relinquishment of our splendid military to a pack of perverts. My family has served since the Revolution, we serve now, and we will serve in the future. My youngest son, John Man, is bent on becoming a Marine, and I will give him every encouragement to stand in the yellow footprints and follow in a long and honorable tradition.

Many now advocate secession from the Union. Secession is not the answer, even if it could be accomplished. This is the greatest Nation to emerge in the long history of this planet, and it will endure the abuses of the present Regime, survive and flourish in Freedom again!

More importantly, this is MY Country – and yours! Here I am and here I stay! I am not willing to abandon it to the Leftist traitors now in power or to any other enemies, domestic or foreign. This is the oath I took when I shipped on forty-five years ago and it is the oath by which I remain bound.

"Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre,
Mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen lytlað. "

"Will shall be the sterner, heart the keener,
Spirit shall be the greater as our might lessens."

(Battle of Maldon – lines 313-314)

KNOW THIS: I will not sit idly by while Marxists, atheists, perverts and traitors work relentlessly to sabotage the heroic efforts and sacrifices of over two centuries of Patriots, to rip away our basic Freedoms, and to bring this great Nation to its knees.

May God continue to Bless and Protect the United States of America – A Beacon of Freedom shining through the darkness of a World beset by Tyranny!

May God Bless and Protect our Gallant Troops of all Services – men and women - combat and non-combat – of whatever MOS. By virtue of their service and sacrifice we continue to enjoy the benefits of Freedom!

With the help of Almighty God, may the Right and our Beloved Nation prevail!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Those that go to DC seem to have a transformation when they get there...forget about living in the real world.

I am hoping against hope that since all of us got flu shots that I won’t bring anything home.

And chicken soup does seem to have magic powers when one is sick.

[ConorMacNessa]

Aloha, BIGLOOK!



Hand Salute To You, My Brother-In-Arms!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[SandRat]

A most Honorable man.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Nana Hope, for today's Pledge…((HUGS)). Thanks, AfghanMan and Penguin Girl, for your service to America.

[Kathy in Alaska]

It has been raining off and on since yesterday. The street is nothing but ice. YUCK!!

[Gay State Conservative]

I'll wager that I'm in the minority here on this subject but I *can* not...I *will* not....honor Mr Innoye for what he may have done while in the Armed Forces.The reason I won't do so is simple...the damage he did to this country during his tenure in the Senate far,far,*far* outweighs the greatest bravery,the greatest sacrifice that any of the “good guys” showed/made in the service of this nation at *any* time.Sorry to rain on everyone’s parade but I'm unshakable on this vital issue.