[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 103 (Monday, July 21, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H5489-H5490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               53D ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF GUAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Guam [Mr. Underwood] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, today is July 21, 1997, and it 
represents the 53d anniversary of the liberation of Guam, the landing 
of American marines and soldiers which occurred on this day some 53 
years ago. On that day a number of the Third Marine Division landed and 
the First Marine Provisional Brigade landed on the beaches of Asan and 
Agat, and the 77th Infantry, also playing a supportive role, landed on 
the beach of Agat, and therefore followed the battle for Guam in which 
over approximately 15,000 Japanese were killed, some 1,500 Americans 
were killed, and the island was finally declared secure on August 10, 
1944.
  As we take time in this special order and on this particular day, 
which is very special for the people of Guam and by far the largest 
holiday in our annual calendar, I want to draw attention to a couple of 
issues. One, of course, is to pay the highest tribute and the highest 
honor to the men in American uniforms, the heroic marines and the 
heroic sailors and soldiers who worked hard and who suffered tremendous 
deprivations and who risked their lives and many of whom paid the 
supreme sacrifice to liberate the people of Guam from Japanese 
occupation.
  I also want to draw attention to the experience of the Chamorro 
people, the Guamanians of Guam, who endured roughly 32 months of 
Japanese occupation, and during this time period themselves suffered 
many deprivations as they tried to keep their families together, and, 
in the final total, we will never know how many actually died in the 
process as a result of hostile action or who were executed by the 
Japanese or, in many instances, suffered and died simply as a result of 
starvation, malnutrition, and disease. But we must also take time to 
honor these people.
  In Guam right now it is already July 22, so the celebration is long 
over, and I am sure that the celebration gave the appropriate honor. It 
always has a long parade attached to it, and, of course, the marines 
are always given the highest level of applause as they march by.
  The reason why we should draw attention to this is not simply that it 
was a momentous occasion during

[[Page H5490]]

World War II, but there are a couple of unique things about this. Guam 
is the only U.S. territory to be occupied by a foreign enemy during 
World War II. It was the only U.S. territory with U.S. nationals on it 
to be occupied since the War of 1812. So what Guam has as a unique 
contribution to the American experience during the Pacific theater was 
that they were the only Americans to be occupied and the people of Guam 
had the only American territory that endured all these deprivations.
  Madam Speaker, yet despite all of the unique circumstances of this, 
there still remains the issue of meritorious claims that have been 
submitted by the people of Guam and have been ignored by Congress. Just 
to give a little background, most U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals were 
taken care of by two pieces of legislation, one in 1948 and one in 
1962. Neither of those mentioned the people of Guam. Every other U.S. 
citizen, every other U.S. national, received their war restitution as a 
result of those pieces of legislation.
  Madam Speaker, that is why I have introduced H.R. 2200, which will 
make the people of Guam whole, which will bring honor to this 
experience, and which will fully restitute the people of Guam from 
their horrible experience. I understand that Senator Inouye in the 
other body will be introducing a companion measure in the Senate 
sometime this week, and I hope that the Members of this body will 
support this legislation. It not only brings honor to the people of 
Guam, it brings honor to that most fundamental experience, an 
expression of patriotism which the people of Guam gave to this country 
as a result of their experience during World War II.

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