A World War II veteran who served in Italy and Germany (being of Japanese descent he was in the all Japanese 442nd Regimental Combat Team, who weren't allowed in the Pacific to avoid the possibility of co-ordination with the enemy.) He lost an arm from a grenade while machine-gunning down Nazi soldiers. He returned home and with help from the GI bill to become a lawyer, his dream of being a surgeon gone with his arm. After becoming a lawyer he returned to Hawaii and became her first Representative-At-Large for 3 years, eventually winning the Senate seat in 1962, and holding it until his death in 2012.
He was keynote speaker at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and later part of the Senate Watergate Committee, and has been part of many Senate Committees, serving as the Chairman for Appropriations, Indian Affairs, and Defense on many different occasions. After a few failed bids for Senate Majority Leader, he was given the title of President of the Senate Pro Tempore in 2010 (mostly ceremonial title reserved for the most senior members of a party), making him third in the Presidential Line of Succession after the Vice-President and the Speaker of the House.
He tragically passed away on December 17, 2012 at 88 years old, and was saluted by the entire Senate body. Reportedly, his last word was "Aloha."
Has a Badass of the Week post here.
