Tearful Barack Obama and Michelle attend emotional Hawaiian memorial service for 'fearless and noble' Senator Inouye - who inspired the President as a boy

A visibly emotional President Obama accompanied by the first lady attended a memorial service Sunday for the late Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, whom Mr Obama had previously called one of his first political inspirations. 

More than 1,000 people gathered at Honolulu's National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific to celebrated Mr Inouye's legacy as a war veteran and long-term senator.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Hawaii's congressional delegation and a number of other senators, cabinet secretaries and other dignitaries were also on hand at Sunday's service.

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Tearful: President Obama appeared emotional as he sat next to First Lady Michelle Obama at the memorial service for the late Senator Daniel Inouye in Hawaii

Tearful: President Obama appeared emotional as he sat next to First Lady Michelle Obama at the memorial service for the late Senator Daniel Inouye in Hawaii

Skyward: Obama and the first lady look up during the F-22 jet flyover at the memorial service

Skyward: Obama and the first lady look up during the F-22 jet flyover at the memorial service

Obama
President Barack Obama pauses during a memorial service for the late Sen. Daniel Inouye

Memorial: Obama had previously said that Sen. Inouye was a source of inspiration for him and someone he had always looked up to

In mourning: President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk with Gene Castagnetti, Director of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, as they arrive for Senator Daniel Inouye's memorial ceremony in Honolulu

In mourning: President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk with Gene Castagnetti, Director of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, as they arrive for Senator Daniel Inouye's memorial ceremony in Honolulu

Honor guard: The casket of Senator Inouye is removed from the hearse for his memorial ceremony after it arrived at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl in Honolulu

Honor guard: The casket of Senator Inouye is removed from the hearse for his memorial ceremony after it arrived at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl in Honolulu

'Daniel was the best senator among us all,' Reid told those assembled. 'Whenever we needed a noble man to lean on, we turned to Sen. Dan Inouye. He was fearless.'

A 19-gun cannon salute was fired as Inouye's coffin arrived for the service at Honolulu's National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, the final resting place to thousands of World War II veterans.

More than 400 members of the storied Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team - of which Inouye was a part - are buried at the site.

Admiral Samuel Locklear, commander of the Navy's U.S. Pacific Command, said this also will be Inouye's final resting place.

'We have lost an irreplaceable American,' he said.

The service featured a flyover by F-22 military jets and the playing of Taps by Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana.

Buses that brought people to the service flashed the words 'MAHALO Senator Daniel K. Inouye' - using the Hawaiian word for thank you.

Inouye's widow, who was seated with the president and first lady Michelle Obama in the front row, dabbed her eyes as a pipes and drums band played Danny Boy.

Mr Obama appeared somber, wiping tears from his eyes several times during the emotional ceremony. The president was seen draping his arm around Sen. Inouye's widow in a gesture of solace, while Mrs Obama embraced her.

Last honor: Widow Irene Hirano Inouye recieves a folded flag that draped her husband's coffin

Last honor: Widow Irene Hirano Inouye recieves a folded flag that draped her husband's coffin

Embrace: First Lady Michelle Obama hugs Irene Hirano Inouye at the memorial

Embrace: First Lady Michelle Obama hugs Irene Hirano Inouye at the memorial

Comforter-in-chief: Obama hugs Irene Hirano Inouye, widow of the late U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, after she receives the flag that draped his casket at the memorial service

Comforter-in-chief: Obama hugs Irene Hirano Inouye, widow of the late U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, after she receives the flag that draped his casket at the memorial service

High praise: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, center, remembered his late colleague a noble, reliable and fearless man

High praise: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, center, remembered his late colleague a noble, reliable and fearless man

Several cabinet secretaries and a number of senators also attended the service, including fellow Hawaii Democrat Daniel Akaka and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

'He was a shining star of the greatest generation,' Akaka said at the service.

Akaka also highlighted Inouye's role in steering federal money to build roads, schools and housing in Hawaii over the decades, from the beginning of statehood.

'Dan Inouye is Hawaii and Hawaii is Dan Inouye,' Akaka said.

Personal touch: President Barack Obama looks down as first lady adjusts his tie before the start of a memorial service

Personal touch: President Barack Obama looks down as first lady adjusts his tie before the start of a memorial service

Special moment: Daniel Inouye, Jr., son of Sen. Daniel Inouye, is presented with a presidential memorial certificate during a memorial service for his father

Special moment: Daniel Inouye, Jr., son of Sen. Daniel Inouye, is presented with a presidential memorial certificate during a memorial service for his father

Bereaved: Lt. General Francis Wiercinski, commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, escorts Irene Inouye, wife of Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, past his casket

Bereaved: Lt. General Francis Wiercinski, commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, escorts Irene Inouye, wife of Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, past his casket

Inouye's chief of staff, Jennifer Sabas, said Inouye was calm, in control and giving out instructions until the very end. Then, 'he penned `aloha,' and went on to a better place,' she said.

'Aloha, boss,' she said in closing, as she stood beside his flag-draped coffin.

The 88-year-old Inouye died of respiratory complications on December 17.

He was the first Japanese-American elected to both houses of Congress and the second-longest serving senator in U.S. history.

The past week has been marked by tributes and honors for Inouye, with services held in Washington and in Hawaii. He lay in state at both the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Thursday and the Hawaii state Capitol on Saturday.

Musical tribute: Senator Jon Tester from Montana performed Taps at Sen. Inouye's memorial service

Musical tribute: Senator Jon Tester from Montana performed Taps at Sen. Inouye's memorial service

Touching gesture: Senator Daniel Akaka bids Aloha to his late colleague, whom he called the shining star of the greatest generation

Touching gesture: Senator Daniel Akaka bids Aloha to his late colleague, whom he called the shining star of the greatest generation

Pomp and circumstance: The Honor Guard presents its colors before the late Senator Daniel Inouye's casket

Pomp and circumstance: The Honor Guard presents its colors before the late Senator Daniel Inouye's casket

Band of brothers: A World War II veteran of the U.S. Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team honors his fellow soldier, the late U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye

Band of brothers: A World War II veteran of the U.S. Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team honors his fellow soldier, the late U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye

Brothers at arms: World War II veterans from the 442nd Combat Regimental Team salute during the funeral services for their late comrade

Brothers at arms: World War II veterans from the 442nd Combat Regimental Team salute during the funeral services for their late comrade

Inouye was a high school senior in Honolulu on December 7, 1941, when he watched dozens of Japanese planes fly toward Pearl Harbor and other Oahu military bases to begin a bombing that changed the course of world events.

He volunteered for a special U.S. Army unit of Japanese-Americans and lost his right arm in a battle with Germans in Italy, earning him a Medal of Honor. The injury scratched his dream of becoming a surgeon and went to law school and into politics instead.

He became known as an economic power in his home state as part of the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he steered federal money toward Hawaii to build roads, schools and housing.

Obama eulogized Inouye during a service at Washington's National Cathedral on Friday, saying that Inouye's presence during the Watergate hearings helped show him what could be possible in his own life.

The hearse of Senator Inouye drives through the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

The hearse of Senator Inouye drives through the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

Final preparations: The Honor Guard practices before the memorial ceremony for Senator Inouye

Final preparations: The Honor Guard practices before the memorial ceremony for Senator Inouye

Spectators: Army officers stand on chairs reserved for the traveling White House press corps to get a better view

Spectators: Army officers stand on chairs reserved for the traveling White House press corps to get a better view

The president arrived early Saturday in Honolulu for his annual Christmas family vacation. He made a brief visit to the grave of his grandfather, World War II veteran Stanley Dunham, after Sunday's service.

During the memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral, Obama was overcome with emotion as he spoke of Sen. Inouye, whom he had described as being his earliest political inspiration.

He said the experience left him with a sense of what serving in government was all about and described Inouye as a man full of 'grace and dignity.'

Sen. Inouye was remembered for gallantly defending his country on the battlefield and gracefully seeking to better it during the 50-plus years he represented his beloved state of Hawaii.

After Inouye became Hawaii's first congressman following statehood in 1959, he won election to the Senate in 1962.

Tearful

Tearful: President Barack Obama wipes his eye as he is seated with Vice President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at the funeral service for the late Sen. Daniel Inouye

Emotional: President Obama takes a moment as he speaks during the funeral for Senator Daniel Inouye in Washington

Emotional: President Obama takes a moment as he speaks during the funeral for Senator Daniel Inouye in Washington

He was the first Japanese-American elected to both the House and Senate and was serving his ninth term in the Senate when he died.

As a legislator, his specialty was steering federal money to his home state to develop the kinds of roads, schools and housing other Americans had on the mainland.

Veteran: Daniel Inouye wears the uniform of the U.S. Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team, made up almost entirely of Japanese-Americans during World War II

Veteran: Daniel Inouye wears the uniform of the U.S. Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team, made up almost entirely of Japanese-Americans during World War II

Inouye, a senator since January 1963, was currently the longest serving senator and was president pro tempore of the Senate, third in the line presidential succession. His office said Monday that he died of respiratory complications at a Washington-area hospital. He was 88.

He won election to the Senate three years later and served there longer than anyone in American history except Robert Byrd of West Virginia, who died in 2010 after 51 years in the Senate.

Inouye's first political campaign in 1954 helped break the Republican Party's political domination of Hawaii. He was elected to the Territorial House of Representatives, where he served as majority leader. He became a territorial senator in 1958.

Inouye was serving as Hawaii's first congressman in 1962, when he ran for the Senate and won 70 per cent of the vote against Republican Benjamin Dillingham II, a member of a prominent Hawaii family.

In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson urged Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who had won the Democratic nomination for president, to select Inouye as his running mate. But Inouye was not interested.

'He was content in his position as a U.S. senator representing Hawaii,' Jennifer Sabas, Inouye's Hawaii chief of staff, said in 2008.

Inouye reluctantly joined the Watergate proceedings at the strong urging of Senate Democratic leader Mike Mansfield.

The panel's investigation of the role of the Nixon White House in covering up a burglary at Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate in June 1972 ultimately prompted the House to initiate impeachment proceedings against Nixon, who resigned before the issue reached a vote in the House.

Joined in song: President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada stand and sing at the funeral service

Joined in song: President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada stand and sing at the funeral service

Honor: Daniel Inouye was the first senator to have lain in the Capitol rotunda since Hubert Humphrey in 1978

Honor: Daniel Inouye was the first senator to have lain in the Capitol rotunda since Hubert Humphrey in 1978

After the hearings, Inouye said he thought the committee's findings 'will have a lasting effect on future presidents and their advisers.'

He achieved celebrity status when he served as chairman of the congressional panel investigating the Iran-Contra affair in 1987.

That committee held lengthy hearings into allegations that top Reagan administration officials had facilitated the sale of weapons to Iran, in violation of a congressional arms embargo, in hopes of winning the release of American hostages in Iran and to raise money to help support anti-communist fighters in Nicaragua.

'This was not a happy chore, but it had to be done,' Inouye said of the hearings.

The panel sharply criticized Reagan for what it considered laxity in handling his duties as president. 'We were fair,' Inouye said. 'Not because we wanted to be fair but because we had to be fair.'

Born September 7, 1924, to immigrant parents in Honolulu, Inouye was 17 and dreaming of becoming a surgeon when Japanese planes flew over his home to bomb Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, changing the course of his life.

In 1943, Inouye volunteered for the Army and was assigned to the famed Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which earned the nickname 'Go For Broke' and was one of the most decorated units of the war.

Dedication: Daniel Inouye loved both his country and his state. He witnessed President Eisenhower admitting Hawaii into the union as the 50th state in August 1959

Dedication: Daniel Inouye loved both his country and his state. He witnessed President Eisenhower admitting Hawaii into the union as the 50th state in August 1959

Inouye rose to the rank of captain and earned the Distinguished Service Cross and Bronze Star. Many of the 22 veterans who received Medals of Honor in 2000 had been in the 442nd.

On April 21, 1945, he was leading a charge on a machine gun nest in Italy's Po Valley. He was shot in the abdomen, but kept inching toward the machine gun and managed to throw two grenades before his right arm was shattered by a German grenade.

Even then, he continued to direct his platoon 'By his gallant, aggressive tactics and by his indomitable leadership, Second Lieutenant Inouye enabled his platoon to advance through formidable resistance,' his Medal of Honor citation said.

After the war, he returned to Hawaii and received a bachelor's degree in government and economics from the University of Hawaii in 1950. He graduated from George Washington University's law school in 1952.

Happy Holidays: President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama wave as they board Air Force One

Happy Holidays: President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama wave as they board Air Force One

Aloha

Aloha: President Barack Obama arrives with first lady Michelle Obama, top right, and daughters Malia, top left, and Sasha, bottom right, at Honolulu Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, for the start of their holiday vacation on Saturday

First couple: The first lady and the president passed on holiday wishes to members of the military who are making their way home  in a pre-recorded tape released when they were in Hawaii

First couple: The first lady and the president passed on holiday wishes to members of the military who are making their way home in a pre-recorded tape released when they were in Hawaii

VIDEO: Biden & Obama speak at Inouye Service:

THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF HAWAII SENATOR DANIEL INOUYE: 

Daniel K. Inouye, the most senior member of the U.S. Senate and the President Pro-Tempore, was known for his distinguished record as a legislative leader, and as a World War II combat veteran with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, who earned the nation’s highest award for military valor, the Medal of Honor.

Although he was thrust into the limelight in the 1970s as a member of the Watergate Committee and in 1987 as Chairman of the Iran-Contra Committee, he had also made his mark as a respected legislator able to work in a bipartisan fashion to enact meaningful legislation.

As Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Inouye had been able to focus on defense matters that strengthen national security, and enhance the quality of life for military personnel and their families.

In addition, he was the Ranking Democrat on the Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee and the Indian Affairs Committee and sits on the Rules Committee.

He helped establish the Inter-parliamentary Exchange Program between the U.S. Senate and Japan’s legislature, and in 2000 the Government of Japan presented him with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.

On June 18, 2011, the Government of Japan made Senator Inouye the seventh American and the first of Japanese descent to receive the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers, the highest award in the order of the Rising Sun.

Early in his tenure in the Senate, Senator Inouye delivered the keynote address at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and was under consideration to become Hubert Humphrey’s vice-presidential running mate that same year.

He became the first Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in 1976, served as the third-ranking leader among Senate Democrats as Secretary of the Democratic Conference from January 1979 through 1988.

He chaired the Senate Democratic Central America Study Group to assess U.S. policy and served as Senior Counselor to the National Bipartisan Commission on Central America (also known as the Kissinger Commission).

Senator Inouye had championed the interest of Hawaii’s people throughout his career. With his support, Hawaii’s infrastructure has been strengthened, its economy diversified, and its natural resources protected and restored. For local residents, particularly Native Hawaiians, whose history and welcoming culture give the state its defining characteristics, Senator Inouye has increased job training and employment opportunities, provided more community healthcare, and provided support services and research to help small businesses and diverse sectors, from agriculture to high technology.

Senator Inouye got his start in politics in 1954 when he was elected to the Territorial House of Representatives; soon after his election, his Democratic colleagues, well aware of Inouye’s leadership abilities, selected him as their Majority Leader. In 1958 he was elected to the Territorial Senate. When Hawaii became a state in 1959, he was elected the first Congressman from the new state, and was re-elected to a full term in 1960. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962 and is now serving his ninth consecutive term.

On May 24, 2008, Senator Inouye married Irene Hirano, who is President of the U.S.-Japan Council. He was married for nearly 57 years to Margaret Awamura Inouye, a former instructor at the University of Hawaii, who passed away on March 13, 2006.

He is survived by a son, Ken, who is married to Jessica Carroll from Rochester, New York, and a granddaughter Mary Margaret 'Maggie' Inouye.

 

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