Daniel Inouye passed away Tuesday (Monday in the United States) after almost 50 years of service as senator for Hawaii. At the time of his passing, he was 88.

The general Filipino population may not know him too well, but those who read newspapers, OFWs in America and generations of Filipino Americans will always remember Senator Inouye as a lawmaker who supported all their causes. The sad plight of the Filipino veterans of World War II was one of the causes that he supported wholeheartedly. This was not surprising considering that Inouye himself was part of the US Army. He was a member of the Nisei regiment – comprised of Japanese-Americans who fought for Uncle Sam instead of Emperor Hirohito — and saw action in the European theater, losing part of an arm in combat.

Inouye was aware that so many Filipinos who served under the United States Armed Forces in the Far East never received the full benefits that were promised them and this was not acceptable to him.

It can be said that Inouye was less Japanese-American than he was Asian-American. He embraced all Americans of Asian descent, FilAms included. This should not be so surprising considering that he was from the Aloha state, home to a large community of FilAms.

Daniel Inouye was an honest-to-goodness American hero, not only for his wartime exploits but more importantly for his decades of dedicated service to his people.

We mourn the passing of this great friend of the Filipino veterans and the Filipino people.