USS Daniel Inouye warship prepares for first deployment
The USS Daniel Inouye, the Pearl Harbor-based warship named for the late Hawaii senator and war hero, is gearing up for its first deployment amid a tide of geopolitical tensions and uncertainty. For the ship’s crew of 320 sailors, it’s about more than just sailing a ship through the Pacific. The namesake of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is a figure that looms large in Hawaii’s history.
Inouye lost his arm fighting against the Nazis in Italy as a member of the Army’s 442nd Infantry Regiment — for which he later received the Medal of Honor — before pursuing a career in politics that would both shape the future of the islands and make him a powerful force in American national politics. More than a decade after his death, his legacy has touched nearly every aspect of life in Hawaii.
