SCR 20, as introduced, Yee. Leyte Landing Commemoration Day.
This measure would designate October 20, 2013, and each 20th day of October thereafter, as Leyte Landing Commemoration Day in recognition of the significance of the Leyte landing in liberating the Philippines from Japanese occupation, helping to establish the independence of the Philippines, and fostering closer ties between the Philippines and the United States.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, The Leyte Gulf Landing on October 20, 1944, led
2by General Douglas MacArthur that commenced on the eastern
3Philippine island of Leyte is remembered as the liberation of the
4Philippines during World War II; and
5WHEREAS, After General MacArthur had been evacuated from
6the Philippines in March 1942, all of its islands fell under the
7Japanese occupation from mid-1942 until mid-1944, which was
8harsh, accompanied by atrocities, and with large numbers of
9Filipinos pressed into slave labor; and
10WHEREAS, When General Douglas MacArthur was ordered
11to leave he had already established a strong rapport with the
12Filipino people and the guerillas; he vowed, “I shall return” to
P2 1liberate them and the fulfillment of his promise is the reason that
2General MacArthur was declared a hero; and
3WHEREAS, During the war the efforts of Filipino and American
4defenders during the Battle of Bataan were widely covered by the
5press, as were the actions of the 100th Infantry and the 442nd
6Infantry, including the 1951 film “Go for Broke!” portraying their
7endeavors; and
8WHEREAS, By contrast, the activities of the Filipino Infantry
9Regiment and its sister units were largely unpublicized and it was
10not until the documentaries “Unsung Heroes” and “An Untold
11Triumph” that any significant visual media covered the history of
12the regiment; and
13WHEREAS, During the American reconquest of the Philippines,
14the Filipino guerrillas began to strike openly against Japanese
15forces, carried out reconnaissance activities ahead of the advancing
16regular troops, and took their places in battle beside the advancing
17American divisions; and
18WHEREAS, One of the outcomes of the Leyte liberation was
19the arrival of GI war brides coming home from the Philippines
20after World War II to the United States, thus enlarging the growth
21of a new generation of first and second generation Filipino
22American-born offspring in the United States, a new milestone in
23the population growth of Filipinos in the United States; now
24therefore, be it
25Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
26thereof concurring, That October 20, 2013, and each 20th day of
27October hereafter, is hereby designated and commemorated as
28Leyte Landing Commemoration Day; and be it further
29Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
30this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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