On Tuesday, Palau held a military funeral for the fallen soldier who was killed on June 1 while serving in Afghanistan.
At 10 a.m. Tuesday, Obakrairur’s body is a casket draped with an American flag was carried inside the Legislative Building in Melekeok for a military service.When Obakrairur’s remains arrived in Palau Monday night, a candlelight vigil lined up the streets from the airport to Koror to mourn his death.At the capitol, over 200 gathered in the Capitol building to condole with the fallen soldier’s family and pay their last respect.Obakrairur was the second Palauan soldier serving in the United States Army buried in Palau. There were two Palauan soldiers who died serving America.An emotional President Johnson Toribiong in his speech said that the soldier ‘sacrificed his life for a cause greater than himself for although he wore the uniform of the United States Army, he fought for all of us.”The president said like Obakrairur and hundred others Palauan soldiers served and is serving in the U.S. military not only “because of the close relationship of the peoples of the United States and Palau and the provisions in our Compact of Free Association that permit service by Palauans in the U.S. military but also because of our pursuit for world peace and our strong belief in the War against Terror.”The president also offered condolences to the fallen soldier’s family and thanked them for the sacrifice their son made for freedom.After the ceremony, a motorcade followed to Obakrairur’s state m Ngardmau where he was buried.
