PUBLIC LAW 108–479—DEC. 21, 2004 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.

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 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 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

George P. Shultz.

George H.W.

Bush.

Dec. 21, 2004

[H.J. Res. 102]

118 STAT. 3906 PUBLIC LAW 108–479—DEC. 21, 2004

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.J. Res. 102:

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 150 (2004):

Sept. 28, considered and passed House.

Dec. 7, considered and passed Senate.

Æ

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.