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.
PL 108-479 (H.J.Res.102), enacted 12/21/2004

118 STAT. 3905
PUBLIC LAW 108–479—DEC. 21, 2004
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 Ameri-
cans 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 dis-
played 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]
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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.
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.
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