Palau’s Maritime Surveillance Adviser Lt. Commander Kimbal Dunsmore led the ceremony on Friday in memory of the soldiers who fought in war with Germany, Austria and Turkey in 1915.
The ceremony was held at the Marine Law Enforcement Office in Malakal and was attended by officials from Minister of Justice headed by Minister Johnny Gibbons, Bureau of Public Safety Director Norvert Yano and Marine Law Enforcement Director Ellender Ngirameketii.US Charge’ D Affaires Mark Bezner, Captain Richard Daniel and Captain Richard Horne, Ship Captain and Commodore of visiting US Navy ship Jack Lummus vessel also graced the ceremony.Members of the Civic Action Team 09-05 also attended the ceremony and pay tribute to the casualties of war.In 1915, Australia and New Zealand-then very newly formed as nations along with Great Britain and its other dominions and allies went to war with Germany, Austria and Turkey. About 30,000 of volunteer soldiers known as ANZAC were deployed to join the battle known as the Gallipoli Campaign. At that time, a plan to force Turkey out of the war and allow British and Allied resources to be redirected to the Western front in Europe was developed.However the Gallipoli campaign failed. The surviving troops for ANZAC were reorganized and were sent to the Western front in France. 8,700 Australian soldiers were killed in that battle while New Zealanders lost 2,700 soldiers.Commander Dunsmore said the Gallipoli campaign is often seen as a loss of innocence for Australia and New Zealand and they observe ANZAC Day to remind the Australians and New Zealanders of the waste and futility of war.“Today the very word Gallipoli has a very strong meaning to New Zealanders, Australians and Turkeys and also to any Scott, Englishman, Irishman, Indian or Frenchman who understands anything of what happened to their countrymen there in 1915. People who have been to Gallipoli in the years since the campaign invariably tell of the terrible beauty of the place and how haunted it it,”Dunsmore said in his introductory remarks on Friday to commemorate the military defeat.
