The late Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, was interviewed by Ken Burns for the World War II documentary “The War.” In the early 1940s, Washington had banned Americans of Japanese descent not already in the U.S. military from serving. When that changed in early 1943, Inouye told Burns he was eager to prove “that I was a good American.”
Inouye joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, earning the Medal of Honor, the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. Inouye died Monday due to respiratory issues. He had been hospitalized for several weeks.
