CNMI Military and Veterans Affairs Executive Director Ruth Coleman said Babauta died at the Commonwealth Health Center on Jan. 23. He was 86.
“He was given full military honors and was buried alongside his wife who died over 30 years ago,” Coleman said.
Babauta was one of the local scouts of the U.S. Marine Corps during the war, Coleman said.
“We thank and honor our veterans for the sacrifices that they have given to defend our country,” she added.
Coleman said former Governor Babauta and Gov. Benigno R. Fitial attended the memorial ceremony at the cemetery yesterday.
Santiago Babauta is the first veteran to be buried at the Veterans Cemetery this year, and the 36th to be buried there.
Providing full military honors were the 9th Mission Support Command from Hawaii, the 368th Military Police Company and the 442nd Infantry Regimen. Santiago Babauta’s family received a U.S. flag and a CNMI flag.
The CNMI is home to over a thousand veterans, with over 900 of them residing on Saipan. The rest are on Tinian and Rota.
