Japanese air attacks on the Mariana Islands 27 in preparation for operations against Japan itself. The USAAF bases in the Mariana Islands were within range of a number of Japanese air bases in the Pacific. These included Wake Island to the east, Truk and the Gilbert and Marshall Islands to the southeast, Woleai to the south and Yap to the southwest. To the north the Japanese had air bases in the Nampo Shoto chain of islands and Bonin Islands, which included three airstrips on Iwo Jima. Several of the minor islands in the Mariana chain also remained in Japanese hands, and there were airfields on Rota and
White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and opportunities for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through increased access to, and participation in, federal programs in which they may be underserved." On October 14, 2009, President Obama signed Executive Order 13515 reestablishing the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The Initiative, co-chaired by Education Secretary John King and Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, is housed within the U.S. Department of Education and led by Executive Director Doua Thor. The Executive Order established the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the Federal Interagency Working Group, and the Office of the White House Initiative