H.J.Res. 102 (ih) Recognizing that the Birmingham Pledge has made a significant contribution in fostering racial harmony and reconciliation in the United States and around the world, and for other purposes. [Introduced in House] ...

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        H.J.Res.102

                       One Hundred Eighth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
           the twentieth day of January, two thousand and four


                            Joint Resolution


 
Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Peleliu and the end of 
 Imperial Japanese control of Palau during World War II and urging the 
 Secretary of the Interior to work to protect the historic sites of the 
    Peleliu Battlefield National Historic Landmark and to establish 
     commemorative programs honoring the Americans who fought there.

Whereas on December 7, 1941, Imperial Japan bombed the United States 
  fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, forcing the United States to declare 
  war on Japan;

Whereas by 1944, United States victories in the Southwest and Central 
  Pacific were bringing the war ever closer to Japan;

Whereas on September 15, 1944, after three days of naval gunfire, 
  United States forces landed on the beaches of Peleliu, in the Palau 
  islands chain, with the objective of capturing a vital air field;

Whereas the battle for Peleliu lasted more than two months, during 
  which the United States suffered over 10,000 casualties, including an 
  estimated 1,250 Marines and 540 soldiers killed in action;

Whereas George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, 
  served as a torpedo-bomber pilot in the Navy and sank an armed 
  Japanese trawler during Operation Snapshot, an operation to weaken 
  Japanese defenses on Peleliu before United States Marines invaded the 
  island in September 1944;

Whereas former Secretary of State George P. Shultz served as an officer 
  in the Marine Corps detached to the 81st Infantry Division of the 
  Army during the Battle of Peleliu and participated in the seizure, 
  occupation, and defense of Angaur Island in the Palau islands chain;

Whereas on February 4, 1985, the Secretary of the Interior officially 
  designated the Peleliu battlefield as the ``Peleliu Battlefield 
  National Historic Landmark'';

Whereas the landmark plaque has been mounted and is now displayed in a 
  prominent place in the village of Kloulkubed;

Whereas that designation as a national historic landmark attests not 
  only to the significance of the battlefield site, but also to the 
  integrity of the site;

Whereas the Peleliu battlefield today has considerable physical 
  evidence of the battle, including about 100 identified individual 
  cave sites occupied by the defending Japanese troops, as well as pill 
  boxes, casemates, and large military equipment, both American and 
  Japanese, which played a direct role in the battle for Peleliu; and

Whereas thanks to the sacrifices of members of the United States Armed 
  Forces who participated in the Battle of Peleliu, the Republic of 
  Palau today is an independent, democratic nation and a strong ally of 
  the United States: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That the Congress recognizes 
the bravery and courage of the members of the United States Armed 
Forces who participated in the Battle of Peleliu and of all veterans 
who fought in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
    Sec. 2. The Congress urges the Secretary of the Interior--
        (1) to recognize the year 2004 as the 60th anniversary of the 
    Battle of Peleliu and the end of Imperial Japanese control of Palau 
    during World War II;
        (2) to work to protect the historic sites of the Peleliu 
    Battlefield National Historic Landmark; and
        (3) to establish commemorative programs honoring the Americans 
    who fought at those sites.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.

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