80th Anniversary of the End of WWII

September 2, 2025

On June 18, 1945, Marine Private Marion Rounds, Jr. of Company "L", Third Battalion, Twenty Second Marines, Sixth Marine Division was killed in action on Okinawa somewhere near Kunishi Ridge. His brother's son, Senator Mike Rounds, who was named after this hero, quietly honored him by shepherding through the U.S. Senate in 2025 the only resolution in Congress remembering the end of World War II. s.

There had not been any mention of the end of WWII in Congress since 2005. That year, Chairman of the House International Relations Committee (today's House Foreign Affairs Committee), Congressman Henry Hyde (R-IL) successfully had passed in the House of Representatives H. Con. Res. 191. As the last Pacific War veteran ln Congress, Hyde felt a deep obligation to the men and women who served with him. They should not be forgotten. Thus, he reitred from Congress frustrated that he could persuade the Senate to pass a similar resolution. The Bush White House objected to the resolutions prose and obstructed its introduction.

A concurrent resolution must be adopted by both the U.S. House and Senate to become the official sentiment of both chambers. It is not a public law nor is it approved by the President. However, if it is not passed by both chambers it is not recognized in the chamber that does pass it. That the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations would not introduce the resolution allowed the Senate to kill the resolution without taking any personal responsibility, defying the White House, or offending the Japanese government.

Twenty years later, Senator Rounds with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) fulfilled the obligation that Senator Lugar could not. They succeeded in honoring the veterans of the Pacific War as well as all who were sweep up in the last and bloodiest battle of WWII, the Battle of Okinawa. The resolution also called attention to the importance of the Pacific allies the U.S. gained after the war.

Nevertheless, the "friends" of Japan still managed to strip from the resolution a reaffirmation that the 1951 Treaty of Peace with Japan (San Francisco Peace Treaty) "is based upon the judgments of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo and of other Allied War Crimes Courts." Removal of the reference to the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal was one of demands in 2005 as well.

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. RES. 383 

Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II with the surrender of Imperial Japan and honoring veterans of both the Pacific and European theaters.

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IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

September 10, 2025

Mr. Blumenthal (for himself and Mr. Rounds) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

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RESOLUTION

Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II with the surrender of Imperial Japan and honoring veterans of both the Pacific and European theaters.

Whereas, after the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941, the United States declared war on Japan, and later declared war on Germany and Italy after their declarations of war on the United States, fully entering the United States into World War II and joining the Allies to fight the Axis Powers in a war in which over 16,300,000 citizens of the United States served in the military;

Whereas, during World War II, approximately 415,000 United States servicemembers were killed, another 670,000 were seriously wounded, and 130,000 were held as prisoners of war; and

Whereas September 2, 1945, marked the official end of World War II, with representatives of the Allied and Japanese governments signing the Instrument of Surrender, prepared by the Department of War and approved by President Harry S. Truman: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate—

(1) honors all veterans, living and deceased, of the Pacific and European theaters of World War II on the 80th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II;

(2) expresses the deep appreciation and gratitude of the United States for the valor and selfless service of the veterans of World War II;

(3) calls on the people of the United States to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the signing of the Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri (BB–63) on September 2, 1945, as a day of appreciation for the members of the “Greatest Generation” who, through their sacrifices both in the Armed Forces and on the home front, preserved liberty for future generations;

(4) mourns the more than 200,000 people, including more than 12,000 United States servicemembers and up to 150,000 Japanese civilians, who died from April 1 to June 22, 1945, in the Battle of Okinawa, which was the only land battle on the home islands of Japan and the costliest ground combat of the Asia-Pacific War, and which led President Harry S. Truman to re-examine the costs of invading mainland Japan;

(5) reaffirms the Treaty of Peace with Japan, done at San Francisco September 8, 1951 (commonly known as the “Treaty of San Francisco”), which formally ended the “state of war”; and

(6) recognizes the alliances and partnerships formed in the Indo-Pacific region following World War II, including those with Japan, Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, and Thailand, as well as critical defense sites developed on Okinawa, Guam, Wake Island, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, and elsewhere, have contributed immeasurably to the continued peace and prosperity enjoyed throughout the Indo-Pacific region.