The Honorable Mark Takai

Floor Speech

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Ms. JUDY CHU of California. Mr. Speaker, as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I rise today to honor our colleague and friend, the Honorable Kyle Mark Takai of Hawaii, who passed away on July 20, 2016 at the age of 49 after a hard fought battle with pancreatic cancer. Mark was a true patriot, public servant, and friend who truly had the ``aloha spirit.'' From a young age, Mark's parents instilled in him a love of service and giving back to his community. This strong commitment to improving the lives of the people of Hawaii and all Americans was integrally woven into the fabric of his distinguished military and public service career. A graduate of the University of Hawaii, Mark was elected to the Hawaii State House of Representatives in 1994 at the age of 27 to represent his home district of Pearl City, Hawaii. He served for two decades before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014. Throughout his tenure in the Hawaii State legislature, he was a strong champion for the military and our veterans, a cause he continued to champion in the U.S. Congress as a member of the House Armed Services Committee. As a proud member of the Hawaii Army National Guard who was deployed to the Middle East in 2009 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Mark understood firsthand the sacrifice that our military men and women make every day to protect our freedoms and never stopped fighting for them. As a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) in Congress, his vision and contributions helped to improve the lives of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders all across this country. This included notable efforts to reunite Filipino World War II veterans with their loved ones, secure treatment for atomic veterans suffering from service-related radiation exposure, and to commemorate the patriotism of Japanese Americans during World War II. Mark was also a strong proponent for cancer research. In fact, I will never forget the tears in his eyes when he first learned about Vice President Joe Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative and the warm embrace they shared at the House Democratic Retreat. It gave Mark and millions of Americans hope that we will finally find a cure for cancer. In his memory, we will continue hoping and fighting until this becomes a reality. We in CAPAC value the privilege we had to work with Mark in Congress, and will never forget his warmth, kindness, and strong dedication to bettering our community and our country. On behalf of the 50 Members of CAPAC, I thank Mark for his lifetime of leadership and service. I also thank his wife, Sami, their children, Matthew and Kaila, and his parents, Erik and Naomi, for sharing Mark with us and the people of Hawaii. The Asian American and Pacific Islander community has lost one of its great leaders, but his legacy will continue to live on through the lives he touched and the individuals he will continue to inspire for generations to come.

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