Sen. Inouye wins USO’s
top honor, ‘Spirit of Hope’

U.S. Sen Daniel K. Inouye has been presented the most prestigious honor bestowed by the United Services Organization, the "Spirit of Hope" award.

The USO award is given to distinguished Americans whose patriotism and service to the troops reflects that of entertainer Bob Hope.

Inouye, 75, served in the U.S. Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team and won a battlefield commission for his bravery in World War II. During the closing months of the war, Inouye lost his right arm to a rifle-launched grenade.

After the war, Inouye was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1959 and to the Senate in 1962, where he remains today.

LIBERTARIAN PENGUIN

The Libertarian Party of Hawaii has decided it wanted a "cooler" image, so it adopted the Liberty Penguin as its official mascot.

At the party's state convention on Oct. 9, members unanimously approved a resolution to make the torch-bearing penguin the party's mascot. Hawaii is the fourth state to adopt the penguin.

New officers for the party are Tracy Ryan, chairman; Cynthia Powell, vice chair; Michael Jensen, secretary; and Dr. John Spangler, treasurer. At-large members are Ken Lindsey, Guy Monahan and Noreen Chun.

SAMOAN APPOINTED

Sandra Salevasaosamoa King, a native of American Samoa, has been appointed deputy director of the U.S. Department of Interior's Office of Insular Affairs.

The appointment is the highest level of federal service in the executive branch that a native Samoan has ever assumed.

King worked as a special assistant in U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye's office from 1991 to 1993 and is now on the staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. She begins her new post after this session of the Congress adjourns.