PRINTER'S NO. 307
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
28
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY VULAKOVICH, COSTA, ARGALL, BAKER, BOSCOLA, BROOKS,
BROWNE, DINNIMAN, EICHELBERGER, FONTANA, GREENLEAF, HUGHES,
HUTCHINSON, KILLION, MARTIN, McGARRIGLE, RESCHENTHALER,
SABATINA, YUDICHAK AND RAFFERTY, FEBRUARY 8, 2017
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, FEBRUARY 8, 2017
A RESOLUTION
Commemorating February 19, 2017, as "The Battle of Iwo Jima
Remembrance Day" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, February 19, 2017, marks the 72nd anniversary of the
start of the Battle of Iwo Jima, where the United States Armed
Forces captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Empire;
and
WHEREAS, On February 19, 1945, the amphibious landing began
by the United States Marines with 450 American ships, 60,000
Marines and 10,000 Navy Seabees and occurred off the coast of
Iwo Jima; and
WHEREAS, Shortly after 9 a.m., under protective naval
gunfire, the United States Marines arrived on the beach of Iwo
Jima and encountered little enemy resistance until the Japanese
emerged from their underground positions; and
WHEREAS, The 36-day assault from February 19 to March 26,
1945, claimed the lives of 6,821 American troops and wounded
19,217, and two solders were taken into captivity; and
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WHEREAS, The Japanese on the island lost 18,844 of their
22,060 soldiers in the fighting or by ritual suicide, an
additional 216 were captured, and approximately 300 were hidden
in caves and tunnels for days; and
WHEREAS, The Battle of Iwo Jima saw one-third of all Marines
killed in World War II, resulting in the battle with the most
casualties in Marine Corps history; and
WHEREAS, After the Battle of Iwo Jima, the island served as
an emergency landing site for more than 2,200 B-29 bombers;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate commemorate February 19, 2017, as
"The Battle of Iwo Jima Remembrance Day"; and be it further
RESOLVED, That local governments and communities throughout
this Commonwealth be encouraged to conduct appropriate
observances on "The Battle of Iwo Jima Remembrance Day" to
ensure that the many sacrifices of that day are not forgotten.
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