[Page S6540]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 383--COMMEMORATING THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
  CONCLUSION OF WORLD WAR II WITH THE SURRENDER OF IMPERIAL JAPAN AND 
      HONORING VETERANS OF BOTH THE PACIFIC AND EUROPEAN THEATERS

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself and Mr. Rounds) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 383

       Whereas, after the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese 
     on December 7, 1941, the United States declared war on Japan, 
     and later declared war on Germany and Italy after their 
     declarations of war on the United States, fully entering the 
     United States into World War II and joining the Allies to 
     fight the Axis Powers in a war in which over 16,300,000 
     citizens of the United States served in the military;
       Whereas, during World War II, approximately 415,000 United 
     States servicemembers were killed, another 670,000 were 
     seriously wounded, and 130,000 were held as prisoners of war; 
     and
       Whereas September 2, 1945, marked the official end of World 
     War II, with representatives of the Allied and Japanese 
     governments signing the Instrument of Surrender, prepared by 
     the Department of War and approved by President Harry S. 
     Truman: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors all veterans, living and deceased, of the 
     Pacific and European theaters of World War II on the 80th 
     anniversary of the conclusion of World War II;
       (2) expresses the deep appreciation and gratitude of the 
     United States for the valor and selfless service of the 
     veterans of World War II;
       (3) calls on the people of the United States to commemorate 
     the 80th anniversary of the signing of the Instrument of 
     Surrender aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63) on September 2, 
     1945, as a day of appreciation for the members of the 
     ``Greatest Generation'' who, through their sacrifices both in 
     the Armed Forces and on the home front, preserved liberty for 
     future generations;
       (4) mourns the more than 200,000 people, including more 
     than 12,000 United States servicemembers and up to 150,000 
     Japanese civilians, who died from April 1 to June 22, 1945, 
     in the Battle of Okinawa, which was the only land battle on 
     the home islands of Japan and the costliest ground combat of 
     the Asia-Pacific War, and which led President Harry S. Truman 
     to re-examine the costs of invading mainland Japan;
       (5) reaffirms the Treaty of Peace with Japan, done at San 
     Francisco September 8, 1951 (commonly known as the ``Treaty 
     of San Francisco''), which formally ended the ``state of 
     war''; and
       (6) recognizes the alliances and partnerships formed in the 
     Indo-Pacific region following World War II, including those 
     with Japan, Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, the 
     Republic of Korea, and Thailand, as well as critical defense 
     sites developed on Okinawa, Guam, Wake Island, the Northern 
     Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the 
     Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, and 
     elsewhere, have contributed immeasurably to the continued 
     peace and prosperity enjoyed throughout the Indo-Pacific 
     region.

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