[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 24174-24175]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             REMEMBERING THE HEROES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I wish to recognize a small group of 
heroes who are gathering this Saturday at the Jefferson Barracks 
National Cemetery to honor their fallen comrades and to ensure that 
future generations of Americans remember the tremendous sacrifices of 
those who served in the Pacific theater during the Second World War.
  These former heroes--prisoners of war all--will dedicate a plaque 
that marks a humble grave within the sea of headstones of those who 
made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of a grateful nation. The 
inscription of the plaque reads:

   Victims of the Japanese Massacre, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, P.I., 
                           December 14, 1944

       These U.S. prisoners of war of the Japanese were on the 
     island of Palawan, P.I., as slave laborers building an 
     airfield for the Japanese military. Believing that an 
     invasion by the U.S. forces was imminent, the prisoners were 
     forced into three tunnel air raid shelters, thus following 
     orders from the Japanese High Command to dispose of prisoners 
     by any means available. Buckets of gasoline were thrown 
     inside the shelters followed by flaming torches. Those not 
     instantly killed by the explosions ran burning from the 
     tunnels and were machine gunned and bayoneted to death.

  Only a few survived this horror. Amongst those who did was Mr. Dan 
Crowley of Simsbury, CT. I thank Mr. Crowley for sharing his 
experiences with my staff and I, and educating all of us about an 
important event in U.S. history.
  Few words can truly express the horror that those 123 soldiers, 
sailors, and marines must have suffered as they were cut down in their 
service to their

[[Page 24175]]

country. I stand today and offer my respects to the memories of these 
valiant men and their families. Their story serves to remind all of us 
of the price of freedom and the sometimes tragic fate of those who have 
paid its ransom for us all.

                          ____________________