CNMI Veterans Cemetery opens

The panoramic view of the Suicide Cliff and the weather’s excellent condition served as a dramatic backdrop to yesterday’s celebration of Veterans’ Day and the opening ceremony for the new Veterans’ Cemetery.

Over 200 community members and off-island visitors gathered in Marpi yesterday to witness the grand opening of the highly anticipated final resting place for war veterans in the CNMI.

Military Veterans Affairs Office executive officer Martin Sablan and his deputy, Ruth Coleman, welcomed hundreds of guests to the ceremony. Sablan said during his brief speech that war veterans deserve such a beautiful resting place.

“Now the family of veterans have a resting area for their brave,” he said, adding that families of veterans have the option whether to take their loved ones to the cemetery or to keep them where they are currently interred.

He said the cemetery still needs some finishing touches but the 216 marked gravesites are now ready for use.

Capt. Janice Wynn, Chief of Staff for the Navy Region Marianas, who served as keynote speaker, said she is glad to be back on the island after 17 years.

Wynn stressed the importance of celebrating Veterans’ Day and allotting a final home for the islands’ veterans, particularly in light of today’s geopolitical realities. “Ultimate sacrifice has become a reality,” she added.

Scott Gebhardtsbauer, Department of Veterans Affairs Cemetery Grants Program director, also spoke during yesterday’s event. Gebhardtsbauer said the $1.7 million new cemetery would honor the sons and daughters “of this island that served the country” for peach, liberty, freedom and justice.

Acting Gov. Felix Mendiola, Bishop Tomas Camacho, Wynn, Gebhardtsbauer, Saipan Mayor Juan B. Tudela, Sablan, Maeda’s Tom Nielsen, VFW Post 3457 commander Marianas Fajardo, Veterans Association’s Frank G. Cepeda, WWII Marine Scout Manuel Villagomez, RIM Architecture’s Chuck Jordan, project manager Stan Good, and Veterans Day committee chair Isidro T. Cepeda led the ceremonial ribbon cutting.

CNMI lawmakers also trooped up the Banzai Cliff for the event.

Last week, acting Gov. Timothy Villagomez dedicated the entire week to all veterans in the CNMI. “In their fight for liberty, veterans have championed the cause of freedom and democracy for people all over the world. The credit for our own freedom, as well as our continued security, belongs overwhelmingly to the men and women who have served in our nation’s armed forces-our veterans,” according to the proclamation.

Saipan Southern High School’s Manta Ray Battalion led the posting and retiring of colors while the Pacific Winds Concert Band played the national anthems and taps to honor all war dead and survivors.