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Veterans Day and An American POW of Japan

Floor Speech

Date: Dec. 7, 2015
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Veterans Arts, Entertainment, and History

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Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the veterans of my district. In particular, I want to call attention to my constituent from Carlsbad, California, Dr. Lester Tenney, 95, a proud member of the 192nd Tank Battalion of the U.S. Army that fought in the defense of Bataan, the Philippines against Imperial Japan in the first battles of World War II.

Surrendered by his commanders on April 9, 1942, he survived the infamous 65-mile Bataan Death March, a Hellship to Japan, and nearly three years of brutal, slave labor in a Mitsui coal in southern Japan that is today an UNESCO World Industrial Heritage site.

On this 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, it is important to call attention to Dr. Tenney's most important achievement. This has been to forgive his capturers and to forge meaningful friendships with Japanese citizens.

In 2008, Dr. Tenney sat down with Japan's ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki with two simple requests: 1) an official apology to the Allied POWs for the prohibited abuse and slave labor they experienced in the care of Imperial Japan; and 2) a visitation program to Japan to initiate healing and reconciliation. In 2009, the apology was delivered and in 2010 the annual trips began.

The result of efforts and experiences by men like Dr. Tenney is that for 70 years Japan has enjoyed a prosperous peace and the United States and Japan have become unshakeable allies. Dr. Tenney reflects upon this and his POW experiences in his occasional articles for The Wall Street Journal.

For this year's anniversary of surrender on the USS Missouri, Dr. Tenney wrote what that time meant to him and the other POWs who had been liberated. He rightly points out that the war and the peace is composed of the deeds and sacrifices of many: foot soldier to general; sailor to fisherman; mother to widow. None should be forgotten.

With profound respect, I submit Dr. Tenney's essay in which he eloquently reminds us to honor our veterans and implores us to pass on and teach future generations of the legacy of World War II in the Pacific.

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