Pacific War Fifth and Thirteenth Air Forces to attack targets throughout the Philippines and the South China Sea. The Battle of Iwo Jima ("Operation Detachment") in February 1945 was one of the bloodiest battles fought by the Americans in the Pacific War. Iwo Jima is an 8 sq mile (21 km) island situated halfway between Tokyo and the Mariana Islands. Holland Smith, the commander of the invasion force, aimed to capture the island and prevent its use as an early-warning station against air raids on the Japanese Home Islands, and to use it as an emergency landing field. Lt. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi,
White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders federal departments to mobilize their resources to address the unmet needs of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Prior to the signing of Executive Order 13125, the last United States Presidential Executive Order related to AAPIs was Executive Order 9066, which led to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Under the Clinton Administration, the Executive Order housed the Initiative under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in the Health Resources and Services Administration. The first Initiative Executive Director Shamina Singh was appointed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala. Prior to her work at