Daniel Kahikina Akaka State Veterans Home

Our Veterans home is proudly named after the late Hawaiʻi Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka, who was born on September 11, 1924, and raised in Pauoa Valley on the island of Oʻahu. As a teenager attending Kamehameha School in 1942, Akaka witnessed the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He later served with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. After his military service, he returned to Hawaiʻi, earned degrees in education, and dedicated himself to teaching and public service, holding various roles in the Hawaiʻi education system and state government. Elected to the U.S. House in 1976 and appointed to the Senate in 1990, he was the first Native Hawaiian and only Chinese American in the Senate, where he championed veterans' rights, expanded GI Bill benefits, and sought recognition for overlooked Asian American and Pacific Islander veterans. Known for his spirit of Aloha, Senator Akaka worked to improve lives and foster mutual respect, a legacy that continues in his name.