[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 119 (Monday, July 16, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H6198]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 74TH ANNIVERSARY OF LIBERATION OF GUAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Guam (Ms. Bordallo) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 74th 
anniversary of the liberation of Guam during World War II.
  This morning, I just came from Arlington National Cemetery, where Ms. 
Irene Sgambelluri, a survivor of the occupation of Guam, joined me and 
Congressman Sablan in laying a memorial wreath at the Tomb of the 
Unknown.
  Mr. Speaker, Ms. Sgambelluri is a dear friend of mine who happens to 
be in the audience today in the gallery. I was honored to host her here 
in our Nation's Capital for this solemn anniversary.
  The Chamorro people of Guam endured 32 months of occupation and 
wartime atrocities, with thousands of our island's finest murdered, 
brutalized, and forced into concentration camps. Mr. Speaker, Ms. 
Sgambelluri's father was taken by the Japanese, and she was later 
forced into a concentration camp for the remainder of the war.
  Today, I introduced the Occupation of Guam Remembrance Act in 
recognition of the atrocities endured by the Chamorro people of Guam 
during World War II. We must never, ever forget the sacrifices made by 
our island's manamko--the elders--during the war.
  My Occupation of Guam Remembrance Act will ensure that all those 
victims and survivors who submitted for war claims will have their 
names inscribed on the memorial wall at the Asan Bay Overlook in the 
War in the Pacific National Historic Park. The memorial wall is the 
only national monument dedicated to the sacrifices of Guam's Chamorro 
people during World War II, as well as the American servicemen and 
insular guardsmen who died defending the island during the war and 
those who liberated Guam in the summer of 1944.
  Ms. Sgambelluri is just one of thousands who lived out that dark 
chapter in American history. I thank her for her friendship and for 
representing the thousands of war victims and survivors at this year's 
wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
  Guam's greatest generation, our manamko, or elders, who endured the 
war and survived have much to teach us. With the Occupation of Guam 
Remembrance Act, and the addition of all war claimants to the memorial 
wall, future generations will see the names of all those who sacrificed 
dearly for Guam and our future.
  The victims and survivors of the occupation of Guam are in my prayers 
today, and I hope that all my colleagues here in Congress will join me 
in honoring the sacrifices of these very great Americans.
  God bless Guam and God bless the United States of America.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would remind Members that the 
rules do not allow for references to occupants of the gallery.

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