Commemorating 60th Anniversary of Conclusion of War in the Pacific and Honoring Veterans of Both Pacific and Atlantic Theaters of Second World War

COMMEMORATING 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF CONCLUSION OF WAR IN THE PACIFIC AND HONORING VETERANS OF BOTH PACIFIC AND ATLANTIC THEATERS OF SECOND WORLD WAR -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 15, 2005)

SPEECH OF HON. NANCY PELOSI OF CALIFORNIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 2005

* Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I offer my heartfelt support for the House Concurrent Resolution 191 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.

* We are a free and prosperous nation because the Greatest Generation defeated tyranny in World War II. We owe them many debts, including remembering and teaching new generations of Americans that freedom is not free.

* September 2, 2005, will mark the 60th anniversary of the final surrender of Japan, which occurred on the USS Missouri. This is a date we must remember and commemorate.

* We remember the 16 million Americans who served in the military during World War II. We remember 670,000 U.S. casualties including 400,000 deaths. The Greatest Generation faced some of our Nation's darkest hours and emerged victorious. We learn from their courage and selflessness. We give thanks for their resolve.

* We remember the sacrifices and struggles of the American soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and members of the Coast Guard in World War II. We remember their families at home who prayed for victory and the safe return of fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and neighbors while making their own sacrifices for the war effort.

* We remember those who fought in the Pacific campaigns against the Japanese Empire. We remember sea battles in the Coral Sea, at Midway, in Leyte Gulf--the greatest naval battle in history--and Lingayen Gulf, which turned the tide of the Pacific war and led to ultimate victory.

* We remember Iwo Jima, where more than 7,000 Americans and 20,000 Japanese died. We remember a battle that raged for more than a month between February and March 1945, and we remember the powerful image of five marines and one Navy corpsman raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi.

* We remember the Battle of Okinawa, the largest sea-air-land battle in history, waged between April and June 1945. We remember the 38,000 Americans wounded, the 12,000 killed or listed as missing, and the more than 107,000 Japanese and Okinawan conscripts killed and the 100,000 Okinawan civilians who died.

* The sacrifice of the Greatest Generation inspires us today. We remember with our words, but must also remember with deeds; by fully funding and supporting health care for our veterans; by passing and implementing a new GI Bill of Rights, which meets the needs of our soldiers and veterans in the 21st century; by realizing our troops lived with the creed that they would leave no one behind in battle and we must leave no veteran behind in addressing wounds suffered on our behalf.

* I am proud to support this resolution to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Let our prayers be filled with thankfulness. Let our words be replete with commemorations. And let our deeds be worthy of the sacrifice of the great Americans who answered the call in our darkest hours.

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