43,000 deaths to be remembered
An Interfaith Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, June 15, 2004, at 9am at the American Memorial Park Amphitheater.
The service is dedicated to the memory of the 43,000 lives that were lost during the Battles of Saipan and Tinian during June and July of 1944. Because the event is in remembrance of all who died, whether American, Japanese, Chamorro or Carolinian, the service will include Catholic, Protestant, and Buddhist clergy as well as laypersons of various affiliations.
“This is our one opportunity during this week of commemoration to honor the sanctity of each life and acknowledge the tragedy of every loss,” noted Maya Kara, an organizer of the event.
Participating in the program will be Kishun Nishigata, Fr. Ryan Jimenez, the Rev. Harlan Webber, Bruce L. Mailman, and Rafaela Perry. Chorale music will be provided by the choirs of Pohnpeian Church, Kristo Rai Church, and San Jose Church.
The service is in conjunction with the ongoing 60th Anniversary of the Commemoration of the World War II Battles of Saipan and Tinian.
