Mark Takai facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mark Takai
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 1st district
In office January 3, 2015 – July 20, 2016
Preceded by	Colleen Hanabusa
Succeeded by	Colleen Hanabusa
Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from the 33rd district
In office 2012–2014
Preceded by	Blake Oshiro
Succeeded by	Sam Kong
Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from the 34th district
In office 1994–2012
Preceded by	David Ige
Succeeded by	Gregg Takayama
Personal details
Born	Kyle Mark Takai (1967-07-01)July 1, 1967 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Died	July 20, 2016(2016-07-20) (aged 49) Aiea, Hawaii, U.S.
Resting place	National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Sami Takai
Children	2
Education	University of Hawaii, Manoa (BA, MPH)
Military service
Allegiance	United Statesll
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1999–2016
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Unit	Hawaii Army National Guard Charlie Company (Medical), 29th Brigade Support Battalion
Battles/wars	Operation Iraqi Freedom
Awards	Meritorious Service Medal U.S. Army Distinguished Service Medal Hawaii Distinguished Service Order

Kyle Mark Takai (born July 1, 1967 – died July 20, 2016) was an American politician from Hawaii. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2016. Before that, he was a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives for 20 years, from 1994 to 2014.

Mark Takai was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was also a lieutenant colonel in the Hawaii Army National Guard. He even served in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2009. This was at the same time he was working as a politician. In 2014, he became the Democratic Party candidate for the U.S. House. He won the election, beating Charles Djou.

In May 2016, Takai announced he would not run for reelection. This was because he was very sick. He sadly passed away from cancer two months later.

Early Life and Education

Mark Takai was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He graduated from Pearl City High School in 1985. He was a fantastic swimmer in high school. He won four state championships and was an All-American swimmer.

He went on to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. There, he earned two degrees. He got a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Master of Public Health. At the university, he continued swimming and became a champion. He was also the president of the student association. Plus, he was the editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper.

Political Career

Takai started his political journey in 1994. He was first elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives. He represented the 34th house district, which included Pearl City. He was reelected eight times for this role. In 2012, he began representing the 33rd house district in Aiea.

During his time in the Hawaii House, Takai held several important positions. From 1997 to 2000, he led the House Committee on Culture and the Arts. He also helped lead the House Committee on Higher Education from 1995 to 2002. He became its chairman in 2003 and 2004. He also chaired the House Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts. From 2005 to 2006, he served as the Vice Speaker of the House.

After 20 years as a state representative, Takai decided to run for the United States House of Representatives. This was for Hawaii's 1st congressional district in the 2014 elections. The previous representative, Colleen Hanabusa, decided to run for the United States Senate. Takai won the election with 51.2% of the votes. He defeated the Republican candidate, Charles Djou. In November 2015, he introduced a bill called the Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act. This act aimed to provide federal help to people who got sick after cleaning up bomb test sites on Pacific islands.

Committee Assignments in Congress

While in the U.S. House of Representatives, Mark Takai worked on several committees:

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
• Committee on Small Business
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade
  • Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce (He was the Ranking Member, meaning the top member from the minority party)

Military Service

Mark Takai joined the Hawaii Army National Guard (HIARNG) in 1999 as a first lieutenant. He worked as a Preventive Medical Officer. He was also a Division Chief for Soldiers Services. He helped military families as a School Liaison for the HIARNG. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 2013. Takai also led the Hawaii National Guard Association.

He was called to active duty for six months in 2005. During this time, he served as the Deputy State Surgeon for the Hawaii Army National Guard. From 2006 to 2008, he was the Company Commander of Charlie Company (Medical). This unit was part of the 29th Brigade Support Battalion. Takai was deployed overseas during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served as the Base Operations Officer at Camp Patriot, Kuwait, from February to September 2009.

Takai received many awards for his military service. In 2009, he earned the Meritorious Service Medal from the U.S. Army. He also received the Distinguished Service Medal in 2011. In 2012, he was given the Hawaii Distinguished Service Order.

Illness and Passing

In late 2015, Mark Takai was diagnosed with a small tumor on his pancreas. On May 19, 2016, he announced that he would not seek reelection. This was because his cancer had spread. He promised to finish the remaining eight months of his term. He passed away two months later at his home in Aiea. He was 49 years old. He was survived by his wife, Sami, and their two children.

In 2018, after his death, Takai was honored. He was inducted into the Hawaii Swimming Hall of Fame.

See also

• List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress
• List of United States Congress members who died in office