As the CNMI paid tribute to its war veterans, fallen, and active men and women in uniform, the island community was also one in acknowledging the sacrifices that the heroes\u2019 families and loved ones made during Memorial Day ceremonies held Monday at the Veterans Cemetery in Marpi.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of family members joined Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and Lt. Eloy S. Inos, other local officials, active military personnel, veterans, and community members for the solemn ceremony, which also coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n
Capt. John Heckmann of the Joint Region Marianas, who served as keynote speaker, described military families as the \u201cmost honored guests\u201d in yesterday\u2019s event, which had the theme \u201cIn Honor of Our Fallen Heroes, Recognizing Families.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to take a moment and say thank you to the loved ones of our fallen servicemen and women,\u201d Heckmann told the crowd. \u201cYou, more than anyone, know the meaning of \u2018ultimate sacrifice.\u2019 Their sacrifice is also your sacrifice. Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heckmann, regional engineer and commanding officer of the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas, briefly recounted the origins of Memorial Day, which was initially a day of remembrance for those who fought during the American Civil War.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter every great loss, there needs to be a time to remember, a time to heal, and a time to honor those who have lost,\u201d said Heckmann, adding that Memorial Day has since become a tradition to remember all who fought and died in service.<\/p>\n
The Commonwealth, Heckmann said, has had its share of sons and daughters in the battlefield since the 1940s to ensure the freedom that the entire nation enjoys to this day. He noted the recent demise of Marine Lance Cpl. Ramon T. Kaipat, who is among the 16 sons and daughters of the Northern Marianas who died serving the nation with courage and sense of honor.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir sacrifice is a reminder that our freedom is won at great cost,\u201d he said. \u201cAll of us who grew up in the peace that followed war have benefited from their sacrifices, loyalty, and acts of heroism. We must never forget what they have done for us and for our children. Today is their day, set aside to recall the path of freedom they helped pave.\u201d<\/p>\n
For his part, Fitial urged the community to remember the fallen heroes\u2019 faithful service and sacrifices as they have \u201cunselfishly risked their lives so that you and I can continue to live in freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot hope to find full measure to repay them and their loved ones. But the very least we can do is honor their memory and treasure the liberty they bought for us with their lives,\u201d said the governor.<\/p>\n
Lt. Gov. Inos, Heckmann, and CNMI Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan led active servicemen in laying a wreath for all fallen soldiers. The U.S. Army Reserve Center provided the 21-gun salute while Dr. Ed Tudor played Taps.<\/p>\n
Single-stemmed flowers were given to family members who placed them by their respective fallen soldiers\u2019 graves at the cemetery.<\/p>\n
Press secretary Angel Demapan served as emcee for yesterday\u2019s event, which also featured two F-18 flybys from the Marine Aircraft Group 12 out of Iwakuni Japan and the 36th Wing Andersen Air Force Base in Guam after the ceremony.<\/p>\n
The Saipan Southern High School JROTC Manta Ray Battalion posted the flags as the Marianas High School choirs sang the national anthems. Pacific Winds Concert Band provided pre- and post-ceremonial music.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As the CNMI paid tribute to its war veterans, fallen, and active men and women in uniform, the island community was also one in acknowledging the sacrifices that the heroes\u2019 families and loved ones made during Memorial Day ceremonies held Monday at the Veterans Cemetery in Marpi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-161601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161601\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}