US House panel OKs bill on Tinian annex of memorial park

The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee approved by unanimous consent on Thursday Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan’s (Ind-MP) bill authorizing a Tinian annex of the American Memorial Park on Saipan that will house World War II artifacts and cultural resources and serve as a learning center for residents and visitors.

The next step is taking H.R. 1103 to the House floor for a vote.

The Tinian Annex would interpret important aspects of Tinian’s North Field by highlighting historic events related to World War II Marianas Campaign.

At the height of World War II, Tinian’s North Field was the busiest airfield in the world, with military planes taking off or landing every 90 seconds. It was the launching pad for the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, putting a decisive end to the war.

“H.R. 1103 caps costs by building on the existing National Park Service management structure at American Memorial Park, which already provides some interpretive materials for visitors to Tinian,” Sablan said.

The bill also anticipates the use of CNMI public lands and funds the Department of Defense has said it will seek to establish a curatorial and historic interpretive center on Tinian.

Sen. Henry San Nicolas (Cov-Tinian) hopes that the Tinian annex bill will signed into law by President Barack Obama, citing the importance of preserving island history and its potential to help drive the local economy.

“This is an important bill for Tinian and the CNMI,” he said yesterday.

Tinian Mayor Ramon Dela Cruz earlier said the planned annex will give Tinian visitors “a better image and understanding of the jobs that the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions did during World War II.

HR 1103, introduced on March 15, 2011, has 12 cosponsors.

The over 1-year-old bill’s approval by the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee comes 11 years after the U.S. National Parks Service conducted a suitability and feasibility study of North Field on Tinian, for inclusion in the National Park System.

Tinian’s North Field is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district and has been designated a national historic landmark.

While NPS had determined that North Field was suitable for inclusion as “one of the most significant World War II sites in the Pacific” because atomic bombs were flown from this site, the federal agency said it is not feasible to include it as a unit of the National Park System because of the “military’s future long-term needs.”

Two-thirds of Tinian lands are being leased by the U.S. Department of Defense. Tinian recently hosted Exercise Geiger Fury, the largest U.S. military training in the CNMI in years, with some 200 U.S. Marines participating out of Iwakuni, Japan.

Sablan, in his bill, said a Tinian Annex to the American Memorial Park on Saipan could provide the opportunity for on- and offsite interpretation of North Field without conflicting military needs.