Long-time serving senator for Hawaii. Medal of Honor recipient.
A good and decent man.
His last words? “Aloha”.
So, who succeeds him as president pro tempore?
That’s a shame. I recall he was always highly respected in Hawaii. Came into national prominence during the Watergate hearings, I believe?
He had a great story he liked to tell about showing up for the first time in Congress after being elected. He was still nervous and unsure of what to do and someone – can’t remember if it was a senior person from Hawaii or someone else high up in Congress – kept him waiting in front of his desk for a while until Inouye cleared his throat and meekly said: “Um, excuse me, I’m Daniel Inouye, from Hawaii.” And the other person boomed: “I know who you are! How many one-armed Japs do you think we have running around here?”
RIP, Senator Dan. 
He was great. I’ll never forget Ozzie North rabbiting on at Senate hearings about how patriotic he was and Danny taking his prosthetic arm off and gaveling for attention.
Quoted from Wiki on his 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.
He was so well thought of, no one is trolling the CNN comments.
In 2012, that says a lot.
RIP, Senator.
The more you read about his actions, the more astonishing they are. From elsewhere in the Wikipedia entry:
Is there a video of this? I can’t find one.
It’s a good thing brass balls aren’t literal, because there would have been a clanking noise whenever he walked.
Love the story about using the prosthetic arm as a gavel 
Um what? I don’t remember that at all. Does not seem to be his style.
In fact as far as I know he never used a prosthetic.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/bulletin/183853331.html
ETA a cite
I saw an interview with him when he recounted a story that happened to him back when he was in a military hospital recovering from his wounds.
He was laying there in his bed, maybe (understandably) feeling a little sorry for himself, when a cute Red Cross nurse asked him if he wanted a cigarette. He told her “Yes” and so she passed him a smoke and a pack of matches. Embarrassed and insulted, he asked her “Hey you b----, are you blind, how am I supposed to light this damn thing?!?”
She calmly told him that he wasn’t crippled and that he had one perfectly good arm left, which was more than some other soldiers could say, and then showed him how to bend one match under the pack and snap it with his thumb, enabling him to easily light it one-handed. He understood that she was actually being compassionate, and letting him know that he wasn’t doomed to be helpless for the rest of his life, which he felt was a great kindness on her part.
America damn sure needs more leaders like Daniel Inouye.
What. The. Fuck.
Sen Inouye was a member of the 442nd battalion - the most decorated battalion of WW2 and made up almost exclusively of US Citizens of Japanese descent born in the US. From Wiki: 442nd Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team (Japanese: 第442連隊戦闘団) of the United States Army was a regimental size fighting unit composed almost entirely of American soldiers of Japanese descent who volunteered to fight in World War II even though their families were subject to internment. The 442nd, beginning in 1944, fought primarily in Europe during World War II.[2] The 442nd was a self-sufficient force, and fought with uncommon distinction in Italy, southern France, and Germany. The 442nd is considered to be the most decorated infantry regiment in the history of the United States Army. The 442nd was awarded eight Presidential Unit Citations and twenty-one of its members were awarded the Medal of Honor for World War II.[3] The 442nd Regimental Combat Team motto was, “Go for Broke”.
That was Mr Sam (Sam Rayburn, legendary Speaker of the House).
In addition to his wartime heroism, he’s always seemed reasonable whenever I’ve seen him quoted in the news, which is pretty stunning by the standards of today’s politicians.
It’s a tribute to his nature that irascible, cranky old Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) considered Inouye to be his best friend.
Sort of crazy that he’s been in the Congress as long as Hawaii has been a state.