CNMI and other officials led by Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang join veterans and other community members in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Veterans Cemetery in Marpi on Monday morning.
DOZENS of community members joined CNMI officials led by Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang in a Memorial Day wreath-laying service at the Veterans Cemetery in Marpi on Monday morning.
“Our sacred duty is to ensure that the names of the fallen and their memory are not lost to history,” said CNMI Office of Veterans Affairs Executive Officer Frances Sablan as part of her opening remarks. “Events like this held on sacred grounds ensure that we always remember them.”
Also in attendance were Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, a Vietnam War veteran, and cabinet members. The event’s keynote speaker was Department of Public Safety Commissioner Clement Bermudes, a retired U.S. Army lt. colonel.
“Today is a day of remembrance. We remember those that have fallen [and] those that never made it home,” Bermudes said.
He added that aside from remembering the lives of fallen service members, their descendants and friends had a “responsibility” to “live a life worthy of their sacrifice.”
Bermudes called on the gathered crowd to “pursue happiness, love, and liberty.”
He also took time to mention that some military service members “never made it back home” and that Memorial Day honors them as well.
