[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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