I went up to the cemetery at Punchbowl and walked alone among the graves of the good men with whom I had served. I wanted to assure them that I would not let them down, never dishonor the cause and the country for which they had given so much. I wanted to promise them that I was not going to Washington to represent the 442, or the Nisei, or any other separate group. I was going to represent all the people of Hawaii and I asked God’s help in this, the greatest undertaking of my life
– DANIEL K. INOUYE
Reflecting on winning the 1959 election as U.S. congressman for the new state of Hawaii, 1963.