[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 22, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S2828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF ATTU

  Mr. SULLIVAN. Madam President, as we approach Memorial Day to 
remember the men and women who sacrificed their lives in devotion to 
the causes of liberty, freedom, and democracy, I would like to take the 
opportunity to speak about one event in our Nation's history that had a 
profound impact on my great State. The Battle of Attu was the only land 
battle fought in North America during the Second World War.
  Commonly referred to as the Forgotten Battle or Forgotten War, the 
campaign began in 1942 with the bombing of Dutch Harbor and subsequent 
invasions of Adak, Kiska, and Attu by the navy of Imperial Japan. On 
June 7, 1942, close to 3,000 Japanese soldiers invaded Attu, exactly 6 
months to the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. As the only land 
battle during World War II, it was costly. In May of 1943, over 15,000 
American soldiers stormed this small island in the Aleutians, and over 
the course of the engagement, the United States suffered 549 casualties 
and sustained more than 1,200 injuries. Many more were taken out of 
action due to disease and nonbattle injuries. Of the over 2,400 
Japanese soldiers present at the battle, only 28 survived the battle by 
capture.
  In addition to these often forgotten sacrifices is the impact on 
those residents who lived on Attu. During the Japanese invasion, all 47 
residents of the island were detained, captured, and taken to Japan as 
prisoners, where 22 would later perish. Those who did survive were not 
able to return home; there were too few people to rebuild the community 
after being destroyed by war.
  Today, before the Senate, I would like to take a moment to honor the 
brave servicemembers and the Alaska Territorial Guard members who 
fought and, in many cases, gave the ultimate sacrifice to defend the 
territories of the United States and the memory and lives of those 
Aleut evacuees and Attuan prisoners of war whose communities, culture, 
and languages were forever effected.
  From May 17 to May 19, a memorial ceremony took place in Alaska to 
honor and acknowledge those who were affected by the Battle of Attu--
the Aleut evacuees, their descendants and veterans of this Forgotten 
War, both living and deceased.

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