[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 80 (Friday, May 22, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S3305]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING THE LEGACY OF THE HUI PANALAAU COLONISTS

  Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, I am deeply honored to represent Hawaii--
my home State is second to none when it comes to patriotism, public 
service, and personal sacrifice.
  I thank the Senate for so swiftly passing S. Res. 109, a resolution I 
authored to acknowledge the deeds of 130 brave young men from Hawaii 
who answered the call to serve our country at a perilous time in our 
Nation's history.
  Passage of this resolution commemorates the 80th anniversary of the 
landing of the first Native Hawaiian colonists on remote equatorial 
islands in the Pacific. It also marks the 79th year since President 
Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an Executive order to proclaim the islands 
of Jarvis, Howland, and Baker under the jurisdiction of the United 
States.
  This was a 7-year colonization effort from 1935 to 1942 to secure and 
maintain the islands under the jurisdiction of the United States. The 
vast majority of the 130 individuals involved in colonization efforts 
were Native Hawaiian--many recent high school graduates of the 
Kamehameha Schools. Later colonists included those of Asian ancestry 
and recent graduates from high schools across Hawaii.
  These young men left their homes and families to be transported to 
barren equatorial islands, and were then largely left to fend for 
themselves and each other. They caught fish, constructed rudimentary 
lodgings, and throughout the years demonstrated great courage and self-
reliance. What started as a dual purpose commercial and military 
venture, however, quickly evolved into a wartime strategy to extend 
American jurisdiction into the equatorial Pacific, establish radio 
communications and monitoring outposts, and prevent further Japanese 
encroachment in the region.
  Three young men lost their lives and others sustained permanent 
injuries during their service. Jarvis, Howland, and Baker were distant 
from each other and located hundreds of miles away from any major 
landmass. One colonist died due to the lack of access to medical 
treatment. Two others were killed on December 8, 1941, when the islands 
came under attack by Japanese submarine and military aircraft.
  The islands were targeted by the Japanese military numerous times. 
The U.S. Navy, consumed by the bombing of Pearl Harbor and official 
entry into World War II, could not rescue the surviving colonists until 
2 months after the initial onslaught of Japanese military attacks.
  Upon their arrival home, the colonists shared little about their 
experiences or the hardships they endured on those remote equatorial 
islands. They returned to Hawaii to enlist in the U.S. military, join 
the civilian workforce, pursue higher education, raise families, serve 
their communities, and live out their days in relative anonymity. In 
1956, participants of the colonization project established an 
organization in Hawaii called Hui Panalaau, in part to preserve ``the 
fellowship of the group'' and ``to honor and esteem those who died as 
colonists.'' Still, few outside of that group were even aware that 
colonists had served on equatorial islands in the Pacific in the years 
before and during the advent of World War II.
  A chance discovery of first source documents found in the possession 
of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, including handwritten journals and 
logs of colonists, led to an exhibition in 2002 and later the release 
of a documentary in 2012, based in part on those discoveries and 
supplemented with the personal recollections of a number of surviving 
colonists. This film introduced the subject to many in Hawaii. People 
in our State and across the Nation learned about a significant but 
previously unknown part of our history.
  Last year, President Obama signed an Executive order expanding the 
Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument to include Jarvis, 
Howland, and Baker, and I worked to ensure that his proclamation cited 
the ``notable bravery and sacrifice by a small number of voluntary 
Hawaiian colonists, known as Hui Panalaau, who occupied the islands 
from 1935 to 1942 to help secure the U.S. territorial claim over the 
islands.''
  And now the Senate has taken the formal action to extend our Nation's 
deep appreciation to the Hui Panalaau colonists as well as condolences 
to the families of the three men that lost their lives in service of 
their country. It is my hope that the story of the Hui Panalaau 
colonists will be shared even more widely in Hawaii. It is also my 
sincere hope that the sacrifices and valor of the 130 sons of Hawaii 
will be understood in the context of the broader geopolitical strategy 
of World War II and that their deeds will be more fully understood and 
appreciated by Americans across the Nation.
  I would like to thank the chairman and ranking member of the 
Judiciary Committee and the majority and minority leaders of the Senate 
for their support of this resolution, and their efforts to expedite 
committee consideration and floor passage.
  I also want to thank the entire Hawaii congressional delegation--
Senator Hirono, Representative Takai, and Representative Gabbard--for 
supporting this coordinated effort.
  The fact that the Senate chose to recognize the legacy of the Hui 
Panalaau colonists today, during the month of May--Asian American and 
Pacific Islander Heritage Month--holds great significance. May is a 
time of year we celebrate the vibrant diversity and rich heritage of 
Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders and reflect on 
their contributions to our Nation's progress, and their prospective 
role in America's continuing promise.

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