2009 Speeches
Remarks by U.S. Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Timothy Zúñiga-Brown
Memorial Day Remarks at the Clifton Memorial
May 25, 2009
Good morning everyone. Let me begin by thanking Minister of State for Culture Charles Maynard, our distinguished guests, colleagues, friends and family for taking the time to join us here on what we Americans call Memorial Day. I appreciate the kind words and sentiments expressed by the speakers here today.
I would also like to express our appreciation to Dr. Tinker and the staff of the Office of Antiquities and Monuments for their support in maintaining this monument. This simple monument along this beautiful shore honors Patrol Squadron 23 and the ten sailors who lost their lives on May 7, 1954.
Today we remember them and return to this spot to mark their courage and their sacrifice. Today is the day we set aside as a Nation to honor and remember all of those who have fallen in battle to defend our Republic, our democracy, and our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
America’s first Memorial Day was celebrated on May 30, 1868 In the aftermath of a terrible Civil War. It was then known as Decoration Day And it came into being as our way of honoring those who fought and died so that the Union might be preserved. Over time the significance of this day was expanded To include all those who have fallen in defense of our country. Now we mark and keep this day to remember the precious price that has been paid by some so that the many may live in a land of liberty and justice.
Almost every time when American soldiers, sailors, airmen or Marines have had to deploy to foreign shores, it has been our honor usually to have done so alongside good allies and friends, fighting to defend shared values and ideals.
As you know, our military includes people from many nations, including The Bahamas who have volunteered to help defend their adopted country. Some of these men and women have borne the full cost of that service. We here remember Norman Darling, who was killed in Iraq in 2004.
This monument really commemorates the sacrifices of all those courageous men and women from all walks of life and from probably every corner of the world who sacrificed to protect the freedoms we all share and hold dear.
As I stand here, just as when I stand before the monument in the Garden of Remembrance off Parliament Square, I say a prayer of thanks for those who have fallen And I honor their memory all the more knowing that they fought and died for a greater cause and a lasting ideal.
In many ways, the families and friends of those who have fallen have always borne the heavier burden. Today, it is only fitting that we also honor those families and friends. To that end, we especially recognize the families and friends of the men of Patrol Squadron 23 who are here with us today.
As history has shown us bitterly, our freedom and our ideals and the lives of our citizens will be threatened from time to time by those who fear the progress of those very same freedoms and ideals.
But history will long remember that the spirit of our people could not be broken and their freedom was preserved by the strong shield of the men and women who protected them, some of whom, sadly, never returned to their homes.
So, in honoring the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who paid with their lives to give their countrymen the opportunity to live free. And in honoring the families of the fallen, who also bear this immense burden let us pray that we will be equal to their example.
May God bless all those whom we remember on this Memorial Day. May God bless the United States of America and The Bahamas.
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