Guam War Claims Statement of David B. Cohen July 21, 2004 Hafa Adai, Mr. Chairman and Members
of the Committee on Resources, I am David B. Cohen, Deputy Assistant
Secretary of the Interior for Insular Affairs. I am pleased to appear today
to discuss the June 2004 Report of the Guam War Claims Review Commission. At the outset, I would like to add
my voice to those who have noted the historical significance of this day.
Sixty years ago today, U.S. forces stormed the beaches of Asan and Agat on
the island of Guam. The fierce battles in the weeks that followed would end
Japan’s brutal two-and-a-half year occupation of Guam. Approximately a
thousand people died during the occupation, and the people of Guam were
subjected to summary executions, beheadings, rapes, torture, beatings,
forced labor, forced march and internment. With the passage of the Guam
Meritorious Claims Act of 1945, the people of Guam became the first group of
United States nationals to be made eligible for payment of claims by the
United States for damages suffered during the war. In the years that
followed, however, many on Guam came to question whether the Guam
Meritorious Claims Act, as implemented, sufficiently compensated the people
of Guam for their suffering. The
Guam War Claims Review Commission, created pursuant to legislation passed in
2002, was charged with determining whether there was parity in the treatment
of Guamanians’ World War II claims as compared with the claims of U.S.
citizens or nationals in other areas occupied by Japan during the war. The
legislation authorizing the creation of the Commission was introduced by
then-Congressman Robert Underwood of Guam, and was the culmination of years
of effort by Underwood and the two men who had preceded him as Members of
Congress from Guam: Antonio B. Won Pat, Guam’s first Delegate to the U.S.
Congress, and Retired U.S. Marine Brigadier General Ben Blaz. Guam’s current
Member of Congress, Madeleine Bordallo, worked hard to secure funding for
the Commission from the time she took office in 2003. It was my honor, as
head of the Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs, to
approve and sign the grant that eventually provided that funding. Secretary
of the Interior Gale Norton, with the help of Congresswoman Bordallo and
Governor Felix Camacho of Guam, subsequently appointed the members of the
Commission. If I may say so, the Secretary is to be commended for appointing
five Commissioners who have brought such experience, skill, energy, talent
and commitment to the task at hand. The Commission did a tremendous job
of piecing together what happened in the chaotic years during and after the
war, sifting through voluminous archived records and listening to hours and
hours of emotional testimony. The result of the Commission’s hard work is a
document of tremendous historical significance. It is my sincere hope, Mr. Chairman,
that as a result of the work of this Commission, Americans everywhere will
finally learn the compelling and inspiring story of their fellow Americans
from Guam. All American schoolchildren learn about the Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor, in what was then the U.S. territory of Hawaii. But too few
Americans know that the Japanese attacked another U.S. territory, Guam, on
the same day (although since Guam and Hawaii are on opposite sides of the
International Date Line, the attacks occurred on December 8, 1941 Guam time
and on December 7, 1941 Hawaii time). Too few Americans know that, with the
exception of two islands in the Aleutian chain, Guam is the only place
currently in America that suffered through Japanese occupation in World War
II. Too few Americans know how horribly the people of Guam suffered for
being American. Too few people know about the bravery of the Chamorros who
risked their lives to resist the Japanese occupation and to help the U.S.
armed forces liberate Guam. In this current time of war, we are frequently
reminded that "Freedom Isn’t Free". Few people know this truth more deeply
than the Chamorros of Guam who lived through World War II. Mr. Chairman, it is my hope that the
Commission’s report will stimulate an appreciation for the contributions
that the people of Guam have made to the rest of America, and that this
appreciation will not be confined to the period between December 8, 1941 and
July 21, 1944. It is believed, Mr. Chairman, that Guam lost more servicemen
per capita in the Vietnam War than any other state or territory. For the
past several years, the people of Guam have allowed a very significant
portion of their small island to be used by the U.S. military, and Guam’s
location gives the U.S. bases there tremendous strategic importance. Today,
many of Guam’s finest sons and daughters are serving in Iraq and
Afghanistan. I had the sad experience of attending the funeral of Sgt. Eddie
Chen, who in April was killed in action in Iraq, and whose parents traveled
all the way from Guam to bury him at Arlington National Cemetery. Mr. Chairman, as you know, the Guam
War Claims Review Commission has made several recommendations. We appreciate
the fact that you have asked for our thoughts on these recommendations. We
would suggest, however, that these recommendations be analyzed through a
collaborative process that would involve many parties in addition to the
Department of the Interior, including, of course, the Congress. Although the
Department of the Interior has administered the Federal Government’s
relationship with Guam for over 50 years, the events described in the
Commission’s report occurred prior to Interior’s assumption of
administrative authority with respect to Guam. Much of the important
institutional knowledge about wartime and post-war Guam resides elsewhere in
the Federal Government. Also, we would note that our focus at Interior,
particularly the Office of Insular Affairs, is to use our scarce resources
to help the islands address their urgent needs of the present and their
aspirations for the future. We have no particular expertise in evaluating
claims arising from events of the past. We therefore pledge to work with our
sister agencies in the Executive Branch, such as the Department of Defense
and the Department of Justice, as well as with Congress, in order to
evaluate the Commission’s recommendations in a comprehensive fashion. We
have already begun the process of collaboration. At my direction, two
members of my staff recently visited with Congresswoman Bordallo’s staff to
engage in a preliminary, conceptual discussion of the Commission’s
recommendations. A That important discussion, Mr. Chairman, will unfold in the days ahead. Today, Guam’s Liberation Day, is a day to express our appreciation. We express our appreciation to the members of the Guam War Claims Review Commission, led by Chairman Mauricio Tamargo, for their hard work and the tremendous contribution that they are making to educate all of us about a very important chapter of American history. We express our appreciation to the U.S. soldiers, sailors and marines who liberated Guam 60 years ago, for bringing that beautiful island back into the American family. We express our appreciation to the people of Guam who lived through the occupation, for inspiring us with their courage, resiliency and patriotism. Finally, Mr. Chairman, I would like to express my appreciation to you, for emphasizing the great historical significance of this day by scheduling this hearing on the 60th anniversary of Guam’s liberation. In closing, Mr. Chairman, I would like to read brief excerpts from Bisita Guam, by General Ben Blaz: "Few scenes during the liberation of Guam in 1944 tugged the hearts of the liberators more than the sight of young children carrying home-made American flags, made clandestinely during the occupation. Some flags were made of cloth, others of cardboard, and there were some made of wood….Soldiers everywhere share a common sentiment that goes along these lines: for those who are willing to fight and die for freedom, life has a special flavor the protected will never know. In the case of Guam, however, the liberated, the protected, did know." Si Yuus Maase.
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