[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 118, 108th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

118 STAT. 3905

Public Law 108-479
108th Congress

Joint Resolution


 
Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Peleliu and the end of
Imperial Japanese control of Palau during World War II and urging the
Secretary of the Interior to work to protect the historic sites of the
Peleliu Battlefield National Historic Landmark and to establish
commemorative programs honoring the Americans who fought
there. NOTE: Dec. 21, 2004 -  [H.J. Res. 102]

Whereas on December 7, 1941, Imperial Japan bombed the United States
fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, forcing the United States to declare
war on Japan;

Whereas by 1944, United States victories in the Southwest and Central
Pacific were bringing the war ever closer to Japan;

Whereas on September 15, 1944, after three days of naval gunfire, United
States forces landed on the beaches of Peleliu, in the Palau islands
chain, with the objective of capturing a vital air field;

Whereas the battle for Peleliu lasted more than two months, during which
the United States suffered over 10,000 casualties, including an
estimated 1,250 Marines and 540 soldiers killed in action;

Whereas NOTE: George H.W. Bush. George H.W. Bush, the 41st President
of the United States, served as a torpedo-bomber pilot in the Navy
and sank an armed Japanese trawler during Operation Snapshot, an
operation to weaken Japanese defenses on Peleliu before United
States Marines invaded the island in September 1944;

Whereas NOTE: George P. Shultz. former Secretary of State George P.
Shultz served as an officer in the Marine Corps detached to the 81st
Infantry Division of the Army during the Battle of Peleliu and
participated in the seizure, occupation, and defense of Angaur
Island in the Palau islands chain;

Whereas on February 4, 1985, the Secretary of the Interior officially
designated the Peleliu battlefield as the ``Peleliu Battlefield
National Historic Landmark'';

Whereas the landmark plaque has been mounted and is now displayed in a
prominent place in the village of Kloulkubed;

Whereas that designation as a national historic landmark attests not
only to the significance of the battlefield site, but also to the
integrity of the site;

Whereas the Peleliu battlefield today has considerable physical evidence
of the battle, including about 100 identified individual cave sites
occupied by the defending Japanese troops, as well as pill boxes,
casemates, and large military equipment, both American and Japanese,
which played a direct role in the battle for Peleliu; and


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118 STAT. 3906


Whereas thanks to the sacrifices of members of the United States Armed
Forces who participated in the Battle of Peleliu, the Republic of
Palau today is an independent, democratic nation and a strong ally
of the United States: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled, That the Congress recognizes
the bravery and courage of the members of the United States Armed Forces
who participated in the Battle of Peleliu and of all veterans who fought
in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
Sec. 2. The Congress urges the Secretary of the Interior--
(1) to recognize the year 2004 as the 60th anniversary of
the Battle of Peleliu and the end of Imperial Japanese control
of Palau during World War II;
(2) to work to protect the historic sites of the Peleliu
Battlefield National Historic Landmark; and
(3) to establish commemorative programs honoring the
Americans who fought at those sites.

Approved December 21, 2004.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.J. Res. 102:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 150 (2004):
Sept. 28, considered and passed House.
Dec. 7, considered and passed Senate.