LANSING — State Rep. Tim Sneller (D-Burton) is pleased to announce the unanimous passage of House Bill 4570 by the Michigan House today to rename a portion of I-69, between Center and Belsay Roads in the city of Burton, as the “Bataan and Corregidor Veterans Memorial Highway.”

“This small commemoration is the least we can do to pay tribute to the brave men who fought for our freedom all those years ago,” said Sneller. “I am honored to be able to play a part in ensuring their sacrifices are never forgotten.”

During World War II, the Japanese military bombed Pearl Harbor and the Philippine Islands simultaneously in December of 1941. The Philippine Islands were crucial to Japan’s strategic plans during the war, and it was there that the Battles of Bataan and Corregidor were fought, resulting in an estimated 750,000 combined civilian and military deaths. Approximately 75,000 Americans and Filipinos were taken prisoner on Bataan and forced to make the now-infamous 70-mile Bataan Death March to prison camps.

The bill now moves to the Senate.

 

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