[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 78 (Thursday, June 2, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1025-E1026]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNITION OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND SACRIFICES OF THE HUI PANALA`AU 
                               COLONISTS

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. COLLEEN W. HANABUSA

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 2, 2011

  Ms. HANABUSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commend the 
accomplishments, sacrifices, and contributions of the over 130 young 
men from Hawai`i, the majority of whom were native Hawaiians, who 
participated in a seven-year colonization project which resulted in the 
United States extending its sovereignty into the equatorial Pacific.
  May 13, 2011 marked the 75th anniversary of President Franklin D. 
Roosevelt's Executive Order 7368 proclaiming United States' 
jurisdiction over the islands of Howland, Baker, and Jarvis--islands 
which still remain possessions of the United States today. These young 
Hawaiian men, many of whom were students at Kamehameha Schools, were 
charged with a colonization plan aimed at placing U.S. citizens as 
colonists on the three remote islands.
  These men spent three to four months at a time on the islands. Their 
duties were to record weather conditions, cultivate plants, maintain a 
daily log, record types of fish caught, observe bird life, and collect 
specimens for the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. During the seven years of 
colonization, these men made numerous sacrifices, endured hardships, 
and risked their lives to secure and maintain the islands. Sadly, three 
young men gave their lives protecting these islands.
  The federal government has never fully recognized the 
accomplishments, contributions,

[[Page E1026]]

and sacrifices of the colonists. Today there are less than half a dozen 
of these colonists still alive and most of them are now in their 90s. 
In honor of the 75th anniversary of the Executive Order, I once again 
recognize the accomplishments and sacrifices of the Hui Panala'au 
colonists and extend appreciation on behalf of Hawai'i and the people 
of the United States.

                          ____________________