HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.R. NO.39            
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                     HOUSE  RESOLUTION

  COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING THE U.S.S. MISSOURI MEMORIAL
       ASSOCIATION, INCORPORATED FOR RESTORING THE U.S.S.
       BATTLESHIP MISSOURI TO ITS PLACE OF PROMINENCE IN
       AMERICAN HISTORY.


 1           WHEREAS, throughout its storied past, the Battleship
 2   U.S.S. Missouri and her crews fought with intrepid valor and
 3   courage, playing pivotal roles in maintaining America's
 4   military supremacy while forging victory at sea, and supporting
 5   operations on land and in the air; and
 6   
 7           WHEREAS, on 2 September 1945, the Battleship U.S.S.
 8   Missouri was the focal point of world attention when it became
 9   the stage for the historic signing of a formal instrument of
10   surrender by Japan to the Allied Forces, thus bringing an end
11   to the world's most bloody war and fulfilling the prophetic
12   remarks made by Vice President Harry Truman years earlier
13   following the ships christening; and
14   
15           WHEREAS, in 1995, the Mighty Mo' was removed from the
16   naval ships register, empowering the United States Navy to
17   donate the Mighty Mo' for preservation as a memorial museum;
18   and
19   
20           WHEREAS, the Mighty Mo', the last battleship ever to be
21   commissioned by the United States, which now rests at its final
22   destination in Pearl Harbor's infamous "Battleship Row", stands
23   watch in silent vigil alongside the memorial dedicated to its
24   fallen sister ship and crew, the U.S.S. Arizona; and
25   
26           WHEREAS, the somber poignancy of the two sister ships
27   that symbolize the beginning and end of America's role in World
28   War II enlivens a profound sense of patriotism and an enduring
29   sense of gratitude for the price of peace and the great
30   sacrifices made in the cause of freedom; now, therefore,
31   
32           BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
33   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
34   of 1999, that the U.S.S. Missouri Memorial Association,
35   Incorporated is hereby commended for its incisive vision in
36   foreseeing the tremendous impact the U.S.S. Missouri would have
37   on Hawaii and the thousands who would visit her and her sister
38   ship, the U.S.S. Arizona; and
39   

 
Page 2                                                     
                                  H.R. NO.39            
                                                        
                                                        


 1           BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the U.S.S. Missouri
 2   Memorial Association, Incorporated, which was formed in 1994
 3   and includes a cross section of leaders from Hawaii's business,
 4   civic, political, and retired Navy and Marine Corps
 5   communities, is congratulated for its resolute determination
 6   and unfettered perserverance in being selected and charged with
 7   the sole responsibility of restoring the Mighty Mo' and
 8   preserving it as a memorial museum; and
 9   
10           BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the U.S.S. Missouri
11   Memorial Association, Incorporated, and its staff of over 5,000
12   volunteers be applauded for its diligent and meticulous
13   endeavors to restore the battleship U.S.S. Missouri to a
14   condition befitting its place of prominence in American
15   history; and
16   
17           BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this
18   Resolution be transmitted to the honorary chairperson of the
19   U.S.S. Missouri Memorial Association, Incorporated.
20   
21 
22 
23 
24                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________