DANIEL INOUYE

            Daniel Inouye was born in Hawaii to Japanese-American parents.  He was 17 when Pearl Harbor was attacked.  He worked as a medical volunteer.  In 1943, when the 442^nd Regimental Combat Team was created from Japanese-Americans, Daniel dropped out of med school to join.  The unit was sent to Italy where it broke through to rescue the “Lost Battalion” (not to be confused with the famous one from WWI).  The 141^st Infantry Regiment had been surrounded by German forces.  He was promoted to Second Lieutenant  for his actions, becoming the youngest officer in his unit.  In another action, a bullet hit him in the chest, but two silver dollars stopped the bullet, saving his life.  On April 21, 1945, he was leading an assault on the village of Santerenzo.  His men were pinned down by three German machine guns.  When he got up to lead a charge, he was hit in the stomach, but he still proceeded to the first nest and took it out with a grenade and his submachine gun.  Ignoring his wound, he attacked the second nest and took it out with another grenade.  Although he collapsed from loss of blood, he began crawling to the third nest. When he raised his arm to throw a grenade, the was hit in the elbow by a rifle grenade. It hit him in the elbow and even though it did not go off, it almost amputated his arm with the live grenade clutched in his palm.  Inouye pried the grenade out of his hand and threw it with his left arm, it went through the slit of the bunker and then he finished off the Germans with his machine gun before being hit in the leg.  He regained consciousness to see his worried men huddled over him.  He growled:  “nobody called off the war!” and ordered them back into action.  Originally awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, he was justifiably upgraded to the Medal of Honor by Pres. Bill Clinton in 2000.  He had been a Senator for 38 years.

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.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Inouye