Recognizing the Legacy of the Hui Panalaau Colonists

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, I am deeply honored to represent Hawaii--my home State is second to none when it comes to patriotism, public service, and personal sacrifice.

I thank the Senate for so swiftly passing S. Res. 109, a resolution I authored to acknowledge the deeds of 130 brave young men from Hawaii who answered the call to serve our country at a perilous time in our Nation's history.

Passage of this resolution commemorates the 80th anniversary of the landing of the first Native Hawaiian colonists on remote equatorial islands in the Pacific. It also marks the 79th year since President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an Executive order to proclaim the islands of Jarvis, Howland, and Baker under the jurisdiction of the United States.

This was a 7-year colonization effort from 1935 to 1942 to secure and maintain the islands under the jurisdiction of the United States. The vast majority of the 130 individuals involved in colonization efforts were Native Hawaiian--many recent high school graduates of the Kamehameha Schools. Later colonists included those of Asian ancestry and recent graduates from high schools across Hawaii.

These young men left their homes and families to be transported to barren equatorial islands, and were then largely left to fend for themselves and each other. They caught fish, constructed rudimentary lodgings, and throughout the years demonstrated great courage and self-reliance. What started as a dual purpose commercial and military venture, however, quickly evolved into a wartime strategy to extend American jurisdiction into the equatorial Pacific, establish radio communications and monitoring outposts, and prevent further Japanese encroachment in the region.

Three young men lost their lives and others sustained permanent injuries during their service. Jarvis, Howland, and Baker were distant from each other and located hundreds of miles away from any major landmass. One colonist died due to the lack of access to medical treatment. Two others were killed on December 8, 1941, when the islands came under attack by Japanese submarine and military aircraft.

The islands were targeted by the Japanese military numerous times. The U.S. Navy, consumed by the bombing of Pearl Harbor and official entry into World War II, could not rescue the surviving colonists until 2 months after the initial onslaught of Japanese military attacks.

Upon their arrival home, the colonists shared little about their experiences or the hardships they endured on those remote equatorial islands. They returned to Hawaii to enlist in the U.S. military, join the civilian workforce, pursue higher education, raise families, serve their communities, and live out their days in relative anonymity. In 1956, participants of the colonization project established an organization in Hawaii called Hui Panalaau, in part to preserve ``the fellowship of the group'' and ``to honor and esteem those who died as colonists.'' Still, few outside of that group were even aware that colonists had served on equatorial islands in the Pacific in the years before and during the advent of World War II.

A chance discovery of first source documents found in the possession of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, including handwritten journals and logs of colonists, led to an exhibition in 2002 and later the release of a documentary in 2012, based in part on those discoveries and supplemented with the personal recollections of a number of surviving colonists. This film introduced the subject to many in Hawaii. People in our State and across the Nation learned about a significant but previously unknown part of our history.

Last year, President Obama signed an Executive order expanding the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument to include Jarvis, Howland, and Baker, and I worked to ensure that his proclamation cited the ``notable bravery and sacrifice by a small number of voluntary Hawaiian colonists, known as Hui Panalaau, who occupied the islands from 1935 to 1942 to help secure the U.S. territorial claim over the islands.''

And now the Senate has taken the formal action to extend our Nation's deep appreciation to the Hui Panalaau colonists as well as condolences to the families of the three men that lost their lives in service of their country. It is my hope that the story of the Hui Panalaau colonists will be shared even more widely in Hawaii. It is also my sincere hope that the sacrifices and valor of the 130 sons of Hawaii will be understood in the context of the broader geopolitical strategy of World War II and that their deeds will be more fully understood and appreciated by Americans across the Nation.

I would like to thank the chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee and the majority and minority leaders of the Senate for their support of this resolution, and their efforts to expedite committee consideration and floor passage.

I also want to thank the entire Hawaii congressional delegation--Senator Hirono, Representative Takai, and Representative Gabbard--for supporting this coordinated effort.

The fact that the Senate chose to recognize the legacy of the Hui Panalaau colonists today, during the month of May--Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month--holds great significance. May is a time of year we celebrate the vibrant diversity and rich heritage of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders and reflect on their contributions to our Nation's progress, and their prospective role in America's continuing promise.

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