Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 122.djvu/5421

 12 2 STA T .5398PROCL A M AT I O N 832 7—DE C.5 , 2 0 08 Proclam a ti o n8327 o fDe cem b er 5, 2 0 08 Establi s hmen t of the W o r l d War I I V alor In the P a c ific N ational M on u ment BythePr e sid e n t of the U nited S t a tes of Am eri c a A Proc l amation Begin ning atP ea rlH ar bo r w it h the d a y o f infa m y that s aw the sin k ing of the US S ARIZON A and ending on the de c koftheUSS M ISSOURI in T okyo Bay , many of the key battles of W orld War II were waged on and near American shores and thro u ghout the Pacific . We must always remember the debt we owe to the members of the G reatest Generation for our liberty. Their gift is an enduring p eace that transformed en - emies into steadfast allies in the cause of democracy and freedom around the globe. Americans will ne v er forget the harrowing sacrifices made in the Pa- cific by soldiers and civilians that began at dawn on D ecember 7, 194 1, at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu. The surprise attack killed more than 2, 0 00 American military personnel and do z ens of civilians and thrust the United States fully into World War II. America responded and mobilized our forces to fight side-by-side with our allies in the E uropean, Atlantic, and Pacific theaters. The United States Navy engaged in epic sea battles, such as Midway, and our Armed F orces fought e x traordinary land battles for the possession of occupied islands. These battles led to significant loss of life for both sides, as well as for the island ’ s native peoples. Battlegrounds such as Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Guam, Peleliu, the Philippines, Iwo J ima, and Okinawa are remembered for the heroic sacrifices and valor displayed there. The conflict raged as far north as the Alaskan territory. The United States ultimately won the encounter in the Aleutian Island chain but not without protracted and costly battles. There were also sacrifices on the home front. Tens of millions of Amer- icans rallied to support the war effort, often at great personal cost. Men and women of all backgrounds were called upon as industrial workers, volunteers, and civil servants. Many Americans valiantly supported the war effort even as they struggled for their own civil rights. In commemoration of this pivotal period in our Nation’s history, the World War II V alor in the Pacific National Monument adds nine his- toric sites to our national heritage of monuments and memorials rep- resenting various aspects of the war in the Pacific. Five of those sites are in the Pearl Harbor area, which is the home of both the USS ARIZONA and the USS MISSOURI — milestones of the Pacific campaign that mark the beginning and the end of the war. The sites in this area include

the USS ARIZONA Memorial and Visitor C enter, the USS UTAH Memorial, the USS O KL AHOMA Memorial, the six Chief Petty Officer Bungalows on Ford Island, and mooring q uays F 6, F7,andF 8, which constituted part of Battleship Row. The USS AR- IZONA and USS UTAH vessels will not be designated as part of the national monument, but instead will be retained by the Department of Defense ( through the Department of the Navy ) as the final resting place for those entombed there.

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