Daniel Inouye, who passed away in December after a half-century representing Hawaii in the U.S. Senate, was one of America’s most beloved public servants. Even before he arrived on Capitol Hill, Inouye had already distinguished himself in a different kind of national service. …

Inouye, however, knew that other American service members have made even greater sacrifices in wartime. That is perhaps why, for the last quarter-century of his life, Inouye carried on a lonely fight to restore Memorial Day to its proper focus as a time for honoring Americans who have lost their lives in service to our country. …

Inouye lamented that “in our effort to accommodate many Americans by making the last Monday in May, Memorial Day, we have lost sight of the significance of this day to our nation. Instead of using Memorial Day as a time to honor and reflect on the sacrifices made by Americans in combat, many Americans use the day as a celebration of the beginning of summer.”

To rectify this state of affairs, Inouye in 1989 sponsored a Senate bill to restore Memorial Day to May 30. He reintroduced the measure in every single Congress thereafter as long as he lived. …

Restoring Memorial Day to its traditional date would be a fitting tribute to Daniel Inouye and his distinguished seven decades of service. More importantly, it would be a step toward better honoring the men and women whose sacrifices for our country prevented them from enjoying equally long and fulfilling lives.

Photo Brian Tseng.

—Chad Blair