WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor tonight regarding the passing of Senator Daniel K. Inouye:

“Senator Daniel Inouye was a man who rarely called attention to himself but who lived a remarkable American life filled with the dignity and grace of a true hero.

“Senator Inouye was only 17 when he heard the sirens over Honolulu and saw the gray planes flying overhead. At the time he dreamed of being a surgeon. A few years later, a medic would be taking care of him after his heroic actions in the Italian mountains for which he would one day receive our nation’s most prestigious award for military valor.

“Dan Inouye’s dream of being a surgeon was not realized, but there were other things in store. Instead, he became a member of one of the most decorated U.S. military units in American history and one our nation’s longest-serving and finest senators.

“An iconic political figure of his beloved Hawaii, and the only original member of a congressional delegation still serving in Congress, he was a man who had every reason to call attention to himself but who never did.

“He was the kind of man, in short, that America has always been grateful to have, especially in her darkest hours, men who lead by example and who expect nothing in return.”