Remembering the 80th anniversary of the Solomon Islands campaign, including the battles of Guadalcanal and Ironbottom Sound.

Whereas, following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the United States entry into World War II, Japan commenced its occupation of the Western Pacific, expanding its forward base of operations, disrupting key trade and supply routes, and threatening key Allies like Australia; Whereas one of the most strategic positions in the Western Pacific was the Solomon Islands and its main island of Guadalcanal, which Japan occupied together with its surrounding seas; Whereas, on the morning of August 7, 1942, the United States Marines and Navy and Allies mounted the first major amphibious landing of World War II at Guadalcanal; Whereas after fierce fighting on the Solomon Islands of Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida, the Marines occupied Guadalcanal on August 9 and renamed the captured Japanese runway Henderson Field; Whereas immediately following occupation of Guadalcanal, the first of many deadly naval battles occurred at the infamous Ironbottom Sound off the coast of the island; Whereas the fight for control of Guadalcanal, its critical airfield, and the seas around them continued for months, with both sides losing men, ships, and aircraft while also fighting tropical diseases in a threatening environment; Whereas among many legendary efforts, the celebrated Cactus Air Force, operating from Henderson Field and comprised of aviators from the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and Allies, sank or destroyed large enemy vessels and shot down hundreds of enemy aircraft, which thwarted the enemy’s attempts to retake the island; Whereas, in February 1943, after 6 months of fierce and intense battles, the Japanese withdrew their final forces and left the island and surrounding seas under United States control; Whereas securing Guadalcanal, Henderson Field, and the surrounding islands and seas became a critical turning point in the war and a critical Allied base for the subsequent island-hopping campaign toward mainland Japan that brought an end to Japanese imperialism; Whereas the Solomon Islands campaign cost the United States and its Allies the lives of some 7,000 servicemembers, with an additional 7,000 servicemembers wounded, 29 ships sunk in and around Ironbottom Sound, and over 600 aircraft shot down; Whereas, as a direct result of the sacrifice of thousands of Allied lives at and around Guadalcanal, both the Solomon Islands and Japan and the broader Indo-Pacific have lived and prospered under 3 generations of democracy; and Whereas it is appropriate that the United States remember those lives lost and harmed 80 years ago, and rededicate the United States to a democratic Indo-Pacific: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives— (1) remembers the 80th anniversary of the Solomon Islands campaign, including the battles of Guadalcanal and Ironbottom Sound; (2) honors the sailors, soldiers, marines, and airmen that made the ultimate sacrifice for the United States and Allies in the Solomon Islands and the Pacific theater during World War II; (3) recognizes the results of their sacrifice, including over 3 generations of a democratic Indo-Pacific; and (4) affirms the critical importance of the United States relationship with the Pacific Islands and of United States-Pacific Island partnerships to promote democracy, peace, security, and prosperity.

Summary: This resolution remembers the 80th anniversary of the Solomon Islands campaign, including the battles of Guadalcanal and Ironbottom Sound during World War II. The resolution honors the sailors, soldiers, marines, and airmen that made the ultimate sacrifice for the United States and Allies in the Solomon Islands and the Pacific theater. The resolution also recognizes the results of their sacrifice, including over three generations of a democratic Indo-Pacific. Finally, the resolution affirms the critical importance of the U.S. relationship with the Pacific Islands and of U.S.-Pacific Island partnerships to promote democracy, peace, security, and prosperity.