Soldier Who Kept Fighting After His Arm Got Ripped Off

Daniel Inouye, the soldier who fought the Germans single-handedly, literally. When the United States entered the Second World War, the 17-year-old Daniel Ken Inouye was right there from the start, literally. As a resident of Honolulu, he was getting ready for church when he heard the frantic radio reports of the Japanese attack on nearby Pearl Harbor. Without hesitation, he rushed to a Red Cross aid station and began helping in any way that he could. Working five days and nights, he cleaned and bandaged wounds, provided food, clothes, and comfort for those injured and hurt. While in high school, he had been a volunteer for the Red Cross and was planning on becoming a surgeon. Despite this, when Inouye graduated high school in 1942 and attempted to enlist in the armed forces, he was refused based on his background. At this time, Japanese-Americans were considered a security risk, and during the war, over 120,000 Japanese-Americans were sent to internment camps. Inouye and his family were spared this fate, since Hawaii's Japanese population was so large, such an action would have been unfeasible. Instead of enlisting, he enrolled as a pre-medical student at the University of Hawaii. In 1943, the American government reconsidered its policy forbidding those of Japanese descent from enlisting and allowed them to serve in segregated units. Inouye jumped at the opportunity and was soon attached to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. After a year of training, Inouye and the rest of the 442nd were shipped off to Italy. Their first experience of combat was the Battle of Belvedere on June 26, 1944, where they performed well under fire and Inouye was promoted to sergeant. That September, they were transferred to France, where the 442nd was sent to rescue a unit of the Texas National Guard that were caught behind enemy lines. The 442nd suffered appalling casualties in the rescue, with some companies only able to field a dozen men by the end of the mission. Inouye's company was comparatively well off, with 42 men fit for duty out of the 150 it had started with. In the fighting, Inouye would fight gallantly and would be shot in the chest, though the bullet would be slowed down by the lucky silver dollars he had always kept in his breast pocket. He would also display such leadership skills that he would receive a battlefield commission, becoming Second Lieutenant Daniel K. Inouye. He would also be awarded a Bronze Star. In early 1945, the 442nd would again be deployed to Italy for an offensive against the Gothic Line, a series of Axis defenses in northern Italy. On April 21st, 1945, Inouye and the rest of his platoon were sent to assault German positions near the town of Santarenzo. As Inouye and his men advanced, the Germans opened up with a hail of fire from three entrenched MG42s, as well as other small arms. In spite of the storm of lead directed at them, the men managed to capture a Now, only 40 yards away, the German fire intensified. Undeterred, Inouye and the rest of the men pressed their attack. Leading the charge, Inouye was struck in the torso by a bullet, but ignoring the pain, he closed to within 5 yards of the first MG nest and destroyed it with grenades. He then advanced on the second MG nest and destroyed that one as well with more grenades and bursts from his Thompson submachine gun. He then approached the final MG nest and was within 10 yards of the position when he grabbed another grenade and pulled the pin. As he was about to throw, a German soldier with a rifle-mounted grenade took aim and fired. The projectile hit Inouye at the elbow and exploded, all but severing his arm, which was now still attached by a bit of flesh. It was also the same arm that was about to throw the now-armed grenade. Inouye himself described what happened, stating, quote, And even as I cocked my arm to throw, he fired and his rifle grenade smashed into my right elbow and exploded. I looked at my dangling arm and I saw my grenade still clenched in a fist that suddenly didn't belong to me anymore. End quote. Seeing their leader hit, his men ran to him to give what aid they could, but fearing for their safety, Inouye ordered them away before the Treating his arm, being all but completely blown off, as more of an inconvenience than a devastating injury, he then proceeded to try to pry the grenade from his fingers and clutching the explosive in his left hand, Inouye then hurled it at the final German position before the German could reload. Swinging his Thompson as best he could, he then opened fire. Advancing literally, single-handedly, he pressed the assault on the German line and continued to fire. His advance was only stopped when a bullet struck his leg, knocking him off his feet. He hit the ground, and due to shock and blood loss from his multiple injuries, fell unconscious. He awoke a few minutes later, surrounded by his concerned men. His first action upon seeing them was to order them back to the fight, shouting, He continued to direct his men as best he could, and by the end of the engagement, he and his men had killed 25 Germans and captured 8 more, destroying several fixed emplacements. He then organized his men into a defensive position in case of a German counter attack. With the situation as secure as it could be, he finally agreed to be evacuated for medical attention, arriving at a field hospital about 9 hours after being initially wounded. He would endure several surgeries, including the amputation of his right arm, which was done without anesthetic, since he was already given several doses of morphine and it was feared that any more would cause his blood pressure to drop to lethal levels. He would also need 17 blood transfusions, and doctors doubted if he would survive. Survive he would though, and Daniel Inouye was promoted to Captain and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He would spend the next two years recovering in army hospitals, and would be honorably discharged from the military in 1947. With his life goals of becoming a surgeon forever dashed, Inouye shifted his academic pursuits. Using the GI Bill, he would obtain a degree in government and economics from the University of Hawaii, and a law degree from the George Washington Law School. He also became involved in politics, becoming the Deputy Public Prosecutor for the city of Honolulu, and was elected to the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives, and would later become a After Hawaii became a state in 1959, he was elected as a congressman in the House of Representatives. In 1962, he would then be elected as one of the state's two senators, a position he would hold until his death in 2012. Inouye would have a distinguished career, serving on the Watergate Committee, and headed the Senate Committee that investigated the Iran-Contra affair. He would become the President Pro Tempore of the Senate from 2010 until 2012, and by the end of his career, was the second longest serving senator in American history. In 2000, after a review by the military, Daniel Inouye's Distinguished Service Cross was upgraded to the Congressional Medal of Honor, which was presented to him by President Bill Clinton. Daniel K. Inouye would earn the Congressional Medal of Honor, a Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal, and numerous awards by foreign nations. He passed away in 2012 at the age of 88. He would posthumously be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award given to a civilian for his long career and lifetime of national service. Inouye's legacy also lives on, being the namesake for the an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and many other military and civilian buildings and facilities that pay homage to one of the most remarkable individuals in American military and political history, a man whose exploits put any movie hero to shame.