States findings of the Legislature and honors the sacrifice of Idaho civilians who served on Wake Island during World War II.

LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2026 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 27 BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION1 STATING FINDINGS OF THE LEGISLATURE AND HONORING THE SACRIFICE OF IDAHO2 CIVILIANS WHO SERVED ON WAKE ISLAND DURING WORLD WAR II.3 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:4 WHEREAS, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7,5 1941, which propelled the United States into World War II, was followed five6 hours later and 2,000 miles to the west by an attack on Wake Island; and7 WHEREAS, on Wake Island, civilian contractors were building a vital8 United States Navy base and refueling facility that the Japanese also needed9 in order to expand their operations in the Pacific Theater; and10 WHEREAS, Morrison-Knudsen Company, a member of the Contractors Pacific11 Naval Air Bases consortium, was employing more than 1,100 American civilians12 who were skilled in heavy construction to build the naval base on Wake Is-13 land, including 225 civilians with Idaho connections; and14 WHEREAS, many of the civilian contractors on Wake Island abandoned15 their tools and heavy construction equipment to aid the United States Marine16 Corps detachment during the 16-day siege and final battle against Japan-17 ese forces, during which 49 U.S. military personnel and 34 civilians were18 killed, including five Idahoans; and19 WHEREAS, a United States Navy task force was dispatched from Pearl Har-20 bor to rescue and reinforce the embattled civilian and military personnel on21 Wake Island, but it was ordered to abort shortly after Japanese forces landed22 on the island, leaving the Americans on their own and without hope of rescue;23 and24 WHEREAS, Japanese forces eventually captured Wake Island and took all25 surviving Americans as prisoners of war (POWs), transporting more than 1,00026 civilian and military POWs to Japan and China and forcing 98 POWs to remain27 on Wake Island and perform construction work for Japan, now the enemy of the28 United States; and29 WHEREAS, 10 Idahoans were among the 98 civilian contractor POWs who were30 brutally executed on Wake Island by the Japanese on October 7, 1943, nearly31 two years after their capture and forced labor; and32 WHEREAS, 17 Idaho civilian contractors died as slave prisoners of war in33 Japanese POW camps in China and Japan during the war; and34 WHEREAS, the Japanese forces on Wake Island surrendered to U.S. forces35 on September 4, 1945; and36 WHEREAS, in 1981 the United States Department of Defense recognized the37 civilians who contributed to the defense of Wake Island during World War II38 as eligible for military discharge, medals, and veterans' benefits; and39 WHEREAS, Idaho became home to annual reunions of Wake Island survivors40 and their families until 2017; and41

2 WHEREAS, Veterans Memorial Park in Boise honors those who served on Wake1 Island with a monument that notes: "The workers signed up for a job; they2 ended up fighting in a war."3 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular Ses-4 sion of the Sixty-eighth Idaho Legislature, the House of Representatives and5 the Senate concurring therein, that the Legislature recognizes and honors6 the sacrifice and faithful service to our country on Wake Island during World7 War II of Idaho's 225 civilians, 32 of whom lost their lives as a result of8 their service.9