E494 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks March 15, 2011 Crocker, Josh Sonis, Dane Espinosa, and AMERICAN MEMORIAL PARK and the Mayor and Municipal Council of Trey Jackson on an amazing accomplishment ANNEX IN Tinian and humbly encourage you and a job well done. to assist us with this legislation to obtain the Tinian Annex to the American Memorial The Neosho wrestling team had an unfair HON. GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO Park. Such a memorial appropriately recog- advantage against their opponents: their SABLAN nizes the historic role of Tinian in WWII. Thank you for your consideration, friends, family, and fans attended the tour- OF THE NORTHERN Sincerely, naments, cheered them on throughout the IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUDE U. HOFSCHNEIDER, wrestling season, and followed them to Co- Tuesday, March 15, 2011 Senator, CNMI Legis- lumbia for the state championships. The Neo- lature. Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, today I am re-in- sho community is justifiably proud of their FRANCISCO Q. CRUZ, team, and the team is fortunate to have such troducing the American Memorial Park Annex Senator, CNMI Legis- in Tinian Act at the request of Senators Jude strong support from their community. lature. U. Hofschneider and Francisco Cruz, and As if winning a state championship isn’t many of the people of Tinian, one of the SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 17–37 enough of an accomplishment, the Neosho I represent. Whereas, the people of Tinian agreed to High School Wrestling Team has the distinct The bill, which I also introduced late in the sacrifice two-thirds of their island to the honor of winning it two years in a row. This last Congress, authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Defense in sup- shows that our athletes and coaches in Neo- Interior, acting through the National Park Serv- port of the creation of ‘‘The Covenant to Es- sho are among the best in America and can ice, to establish an annex of the American Me- tablish a Commonwealth of the Northern morial Park, located on the island of , Mariana Islands in Political Union with the stand proud in their accomplishments. United States of America’’; and But even more important than that, the Neo- on the adjacent island of Tinian. Whereas, this unique relationship is codi- Tinian is only 39 square miles in area. But sho wrestling team will have memories to last fied at 48 U.S.C. § 1801; and the island played an outsize role in ending a lifetime. They’ve had that extraordinarily op- Whereas, Federal Public Law 94–241 (H.J. World War II. Res. 549) was adopted on March 24, 1976 to ap- portunity to live the dream of anyone who has While a military lease of two-thirds of Tinian prove ‘‘The Covenant to Establish a Com- ever dreamed of competing with the best and precludes any set-aside of the historical land monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands achieving victory. on Tinian, creating an annex of the American in Political Union with the United States of I urge my colleagues to join me in congratu- Memorial Park, a repository for artifacts to be America,’’ and for other purposes; and displayed, and a locus for the interest of visi- Whereas, Federal Public Law 95–348, passed lating the Neosho High School Wrestling on 18 August 1978 by the United States Con- Team, the Missouri Class 3 State Champions. tors to Tinian and locals alike, would be ap- gress, authorized and directed the National propriate. Park Service ‘‘to develop, maintain and ad- f I am submitting for the record the letter of minister the American Memorial Park . . . request from Senators Hofschneider and Cruz. for the primary purpose of honoring the dead HONORING CORPORAL JONATHAN I am also submitting NMI Senate Resolution in the World War II Mariana Islands cam- W. TAYLOR, HOMOSASSA, FLORIDA No. 17–37 that supports the establishment of paign’’; and annex. The Resolution refers to H.R. 6380, Whereas, Federal Public Law 95–348 further the bill number from the 111th Congress. But stated that ‘‘[o]ther points in the Northern Mariana Islands relevant to the park may be HON. RICHARD B. NUGENT the language of today’s bill is essentially the identified, established, and marked by the same as H.R. 6380. OF FLORIDA Secretary in agreement with the Governor of I ask that my colleagues support the Amer- Northern Mariana Islands’’; and IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ican Memorial Park Annex in Tinian Act. Whereas, the Marianas Islands Range Com- NORTHERN MARIANAS plex Record of Decision was signed on Au- Tuesday, March 15, 2011 COMMONWEALTH LEGISLATURE, gust 20, 2010; and Saipan, MP, March 14, 2011. Whereas, the Record of Decision noted that Mr. NUGENT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to Hon. GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, the North Field National Historic Landmark honor Corporal Jonathan W. Taylor, of Delegate, Commonwealth of the Northern Mar- will be closed to the public during certain Homosassa, Florida who died on February 22, iana Islands, Cannon House Office Build- exercises; and 2011 while conducting combat operations in ing, Washington, DC. Whereas, the North Field National Historic the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. DEAR CONGRESSMAN: I am writing to re- Landmark is essential to the historic preser- quest your reintroduction of legislation au- vation and promotion of Tinian as a tourist Growing up, Corporal Taylor always knew thorizing the Secretary of the Interior to es- destination; and that he wanted to one day become a Marine. tablish an annex of the American Memorial Whereas, on September 29, 2010, CNMI Del- As a student at Lecanto High School, he was Park in Saipan, on the Island of Tinian. egate Gregorio ‘‘Kilili’’ Sablan introduced an active member of the JROTC Program and The North Field on Tinian has been des- into the United States Congress H.R. 6380, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Inte- participated in the Yankeetown U.S. Navy Sea ignated as one of the most important World War II (WWII) sites in the Pacific. The North rior, acting through the National Park Serv- Cadet corps. Field was used as the launching point for the ice, to establish an annex in Tinian, Com- In October 2007, Corporal Taylor was de- dropping of two atomic bombs on dur- monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, ployed on his first combat tour of duty in sup- ing WWII, in addition to the strategic bomb- as an extension of the American Memorial Park located in Saipan; and port of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following ing of Japan. Many historians believe use of the Atomic bomb ended America’s war with Whereas, H.R. 6380, the ‘‘American Memo- that tour, he was also deployed in support of the Japanese expeditiously, saving the lives rial Park Annex in Tinian Act,’’ directs that Operation Enduring Freedom three separate hundreds of thousands, if not millions of the annex be used to interpret historical times. While his unit was not deployed during lives had the U.S. naval and ground forces events related to the World War II Marianas his second to last tour, Corporal Taylor brave- invaded Japan. Campaign and for curatorial storage of ly volunteered to go back to Afghanistan to On June 18, 2009, I wrote you regarding World War II artifacts; and continue the fight with his fellow Marines. adding Tinian’s North Field to the national Whereas, H.R. 6380 has been referred to the park system. However, as I stated in that House Committee on Natural Resources, for Corporal Taylor was laid to rest today with letter, the U.S. military leases approxi- which Congressman Sablan has requested a full military honors at Arlington Cemetery. Now mately two thirds of Tinian, and their train- legislative hearing as soon as possible; and beside his fellow brothers in uniform, his par- ing needs preclude inclusion. On December Whereas, the Tinian Leadership is working ents say they are proud to see him off on 23, 2009, the National Park Service suggested diligently with CNMI Delegate Gregorio several options to recognize the North Field ‘‘Kilili’’ Sablan to increase National Park what they like to call his fifth and final tour of such as brochures, an interpretive film and Service activity on Tinian, through the es- duty on behalf of this great country. providing interpretive tours on Saipan. tablishment of a center that would interpret As a nation, we owe our fallen heroes and While these suggestions are a good start, the historical events and impart our cultural their families a debt that can never truly be re- people of Tinian feel a permanent memorial, heritage: Now, therefore, be it the Tinian Annex of the American Memorial Resolved, that the Senate of the Seven- paid. Corporal Taylor courageously made the Park, will appropriately recognize the his- teenth Northern Marianas Commonwealth ultimate sacrifice for his fellow Marines and for toric role of Tinian in WWII. Legislature supports the passage of H.R. 6380 our country. I am humbled to have the oppor- The Tinian Delegation of the Common- to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to tunity to honor a true American hero today. wealth Legislature, Senator Cruz and me, establish an annex in Tinian as an extension

VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:46 Mar 16, 2011 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A15MR8.031 E15MRPT1 pwalker on DSKD5P82C1PROD with REMARKS