Inouye saluted year after death

By OSKAR GARCIA

Associated Press

HONOLULU — U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono joined other federal lawmakers who marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Sen. Daniel Inouye on Tuesday by introducing a bill to rename a Honolulu defense institute in his honor.

Renaming the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies for the senator would recognize his support for the institute run by the Department of Defense, Hirono said. The center runs workshops and other educational programs for people involved with regional security.

Inouye died Dec. 17, 2012, at 88 after serving in the Senate since 1963. He was a World War II hero and Medal of Honor recipient who lost an arm during a battle in Italy.

“As a young man, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye responded to the call of duty and wore the uniform in defense of liberty and freedom,” Hirono said. “He then went on to a lifetime of public service, laying the foundation for a modern Hawaii.”

Other lawmakers said Inouye will be remembered for his legacy of aloha and passion for Hawaii.

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, who Inouye wanted to succeed him in the Senate, said the past year has been filled with bittersweet memories. She spoke Monday at a ceremony dedicating a facility in his honor near Pearl Harbor for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“I joined everyone there — friends, family, colleagues — in sharing not only the pride of honoring this humble, courageous, extraordinary man, but also the continued loss of his wit, love and guidance,” Hanabusa said.

Inouye did not get his wish of Hanabusa replacing him, as Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie appointed Brian Schatz, lieutenant governor at the time, to the post. Hanabusa and Schatz are facing off for the office in a Democratic primary in 2014.

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said Inouye sacrificed for the United States despite tremendous prejudice during World War II.

“He believed in our country and its greatness and worked hard every day of his career to put others before himself,” she said.