[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 75 (Wednesday, June 15, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 15, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 IN OBSERVANCE OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF WORLD WAR II IN THE MARIANA 
                                ISLANDS

                                 ______


                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 15, 1994

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, as this great Nation of ours has just 
completed its celebration commemorating the 50th Anniversary of D-day, 
those of us from the Pacific are just beginning our own celebration in 
observance of the 50th anniversary of another D-day marking the 
beginning of the end of World War II in the Pacific. I am submitting 
here, for inclusion in the Record, a statement by the Resident 
Representative of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas in 
remembrance of the 50th anniversary of World War II in the Pacific.

 In Observance of the 50th Anniversary of World War II in the Mariana 
                                Islands

(By Juan N. Babuta, Resident Representative of the Commonwealth of the 
                       Northern Mariana Islands)

       While most American communities all across this great 
     Nation have ended their celebration commemorating the 50th 
     anniversary of the Allied offensive on the beaches of 
     Normandy during World War II, the people of the Northern 
     Mariana Islands are carrying on the celebration throughout 
     this month, as we build toward a climax of June 15--when the 
     people of the islands celebrate their liberation by U.S. 
     forces in World War II.
       The people of the Mariana Islands, whom Delegate Robert 
     Underwood and I represent, are the only members of the 
     American family whose lives and homes were bloodied in 
     violent conflict during World War II. Unlike the people of 
     Guam, however, the people of the Northern Marianas were not 
     Americans at the time of the U.S. invasion. We were in the 
     hands of the Japanese, as we had been in the hands of the 
     Germans before that and in the hands of the Spanish before 
     that--a period of colonization stretching back more than 300 
     years.
       For our people, the American invasion and capture of our 
     islands could have been just another chapter in a long 
     history of colonization. But it was not. The coming of the 
     United States to our islands heralded the beginning of the 
     end of our colonization. For the United States armed forces 
     brought with them the ideals of freedom and democratic self-
     government. They shared those principles with us and we 
     gladly embraced them.
       Today, the people of the Northern Marianas are members of 
     the American family--not because we were conquered, but 
     because America gave us the opportunity to choose freely our 
     political destiny. America gave us the chance to be self-
     governing; and America--with great generosity--gave us the 
     chance to be part of this great Nation.
       The 19,000 men of the 2d and 4th Marine Divisions and the 
     27th Army Division who were killed or wounded during the 
     battles on Saipan and Tinian in the Northern Marianas 
     probably thought only of the strategic importance of these 
     islands. The Marianas were geographically central in the 
     Western Pacific and were crucial in staging points for the 
     taking of the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Most 
     importantly, the Marianas provided a platform placing U.S. 
     warplanes within striking distance of the Japanese homeland. 
     It was from Tinian that the Enola Gay, with its single atomic 
     payload ``Little Boy'' departed for Hiroshima--a flight that 
     changed the very nature of our modern world.
       The capture of the Marianas directly resulted in the fall 
     of the Tojo government in Tokyo. Truly, in the words of 
     General Holland L. Smith, this was ``the decisive battle of 
     the Pacific offensive.''
       The troops who crawled ashore and fought the bitter fight 
     to take the Northern Marianas thought of immediate strategic 
     goals. They probably did not imagine how their struggle would 
     change the lives of the people of these islands. But change 
     our lives they did. The Commonwealth today is a proud and 
     vibrant community. As American citizens on U.S. soil at the 
     gateway to Asia, the people of the Northern Marianas are 
     performing an important role in protecting and advancing the 
     Nation's interest.
       And we remember. We honor the thousands of U.S. soldiers 
     who made the supreme sacrifice so that the people of the 
     Northern Marianas might live in liberty. Their valor and 
     selflessness will live in our hearts and memories.
       And we are grateful--for today we celebrate freedom and 
     democracy.

                          ____________________