Norton can’t make it to WW2 anniversary
Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton has informed the CNMI government that she would not be able to attend the 60th commemoration of the Battles of Saipan and Tinian in June.
In her letter to Gov. Juan N. Babauta, Norton explained that her schedule would not permit her to attend the June celebration.
She extended the U.S. government’s best wishes, though, as the Commonwealth marks the upcoming event, saying she was pleased to have witnessed the groundbreaking ceremony for the new American Memorial Park’s Visitors Center in Jan. 2004.
“As I toured the Memorial Park, I was overwhelmed with the solemn and majestic ways in which it pays tribute to American military personnel who lost their lives in those conflicts. I am confident that the beautiful new Visitor Center will be an important addition to the Park and contribute to the overall appreciation of those who visit this wonderful memorial,” Norton said.
She said the Department of the Interior joins U.S. President Bush in offering the CNMI their best wishes on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the battles of Saipan and Tinian.
“The residents of the CNMI are to be congratulated for holding the celebration to commemorate the historic battles that helped end the war in the Pacific,” the Interior secretary said.
The committee handling preparations for the 60th anniversary of the Battles of Saipan and Tinian has been feverishly setting up the different events that would be held in June.
The Office of the Governor has also ordered an adopt-a-mile cleanup activity for all government agencies.
Also, the committee asked private agencies and businesses to join the government by clearing debris and other unappealing sights along thoroughfares, particularly areas where tourists would pass by.
The committee also announced that Col. Paul Tibbets, who flew the Enola Gay during the war, would be on Saipan to join the CNMI and other war veterans in commemorating the Saipan and Tinian battles 60 years ago.
Tibbets, now 89, would be the special guest of the CNMI during the June 16 ceremonies. He was the pilot that flew the Enola Gay when it dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima—credited for hastily ending World War II.
