Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge R.I.P. Daniel Inouye

"On April 21, 1945, Inouye was grievously wounded while leading an assault on a heavily-defended ridge near San Terenzo in Tuscany, Italy called Colle Musatello. The ridge served as a strongpoint along the strip of German fortifications known as the Gothic Line, which represented the last and most dogged line of German defensive works in Italy. As he led his platoon in a flanking maneuver, three German machine guns opened fire from covered positions just 40 yards away, pinning his men to the ground. Inouye stood up to attack and was shot in the stomach; ignoring his wound, he proceeded to attack and destroy the first machine gun nest with hand grenades and fire from his Thompson submachine gun. After being informed of the severity of his wound by his platoon sergeant, he refused treatment and rallied his men for an attack on the second machine gun position, which he also successfully destroyed before collapsing from blood loss.
As his squad distracted the third machine gunner, Inouye crawled toward the final bunker, eventually drawing within 10 yards. As he raised himself up and cocked his arm to throw his last grenade into the fighting position, a German inside fired a rifle grenade that struck him on the right elbow, severing most of his arm and leaving his own primed grenade reflexively "clenched in a fist that suddenly didn't belong to me anymore".[10] Inouye's horrified soldiers moved to his aid, but he shouted for them to keep back out of fear his severed fist would involuntarily relax and drop the grenade. As the German inside the bunker reloaded his rifle, Inouye pried the live grenade from his useless right hand and transferred it to his left. As the German aimed his rifle to finish him off, Inouye tossed the grenade off-hand into the bunker and destroyed it. He stumbled to his feet and continued forward, silencing the last German resistance with a one-handed burst from his Thompson before being wounded in the leg and tumbling unconscious to the bottom of the ridge. When he awoke to see the concerned men of his platoon hovering over him, his only comment before being carried away was to gruffly order them to return to their positions, since, as he pointed out, "nobody called off the war!"

No offense to anyone but sounds like He out did any John Wayne scene I've ever seen.

mike

I would also like to add is that Inouye was a Nissei (second generation Japanese-American) and his family/generation were brought to the internment camps because of their lineage. The Nissei, instead of crying foul of their treatment, went into the army and were mainly assigned to the 442 Infantry Regiment of the US Army and were allowed only to be assigned to Europe. The 442nd is considered to be the most decorated infantry regiment in the history of the United States Army. Pretty darn impressive coming from a group of Nissei's like Mr. Inouye who's country doubted their loyalty to their country even though they were born Americans. Daniel Inouye was the real deal hero.

Truly a great American soldier and statesman has passed.

(...RIP Senator Inouye)

Yep, Matt. And all very well depicted in one of my favorite WWII movies..."Go For Broke"(1951).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYl2hK_v7wg

(...btw, growing up in Gardena CA, at the time in the 1960s when many Japanese-Americans lived there, a few of my classmates' fathers were members of the 442nd)

WOW ! I just read all that on Wikki. True heroism under fire. Just awestruck.

he did a speech at the post where i work last october. was very impressed by him

Sounds like a man who deserved respect

May he in rest in peace

To call him a 'giant' doesn't even begin to give the measure of the man.

If we had had 100 of him in the Senate the US would be a far greater place today.