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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
Her Excellency Dame Marguerite Pindling, Governor General of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas gives remarks during the Memorial Day ceremony.(Photo provided courtesy of Letisha Henderson – Bahamas Information Services)
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Nassau, Bahamas - On Monday, May 25th, the United States Embassy commemorated
Memorial Day with a wreath laying ceremony at Clifton Pier in memory of fallen
comrades and military veterans. The solemn tribute was held at the site
of the Memorial to Patrol Squad 23 to commemorate the 10 U.S. crew members who
lost their lives during a fateful training mission off the coast of Nassau on
May 7th, 1954. The VP-23
Squadron members that died in the plane crash included William Martin, Leland
Osborn, John Tinney, John Holle, Joseph Kiliszewski, Franz Nelson, Thomas
Caylor, Gerald Lepard, Albert Olson and Fred Sparks. The military services of Bahamian
Private First Class Norman Darling who died in the Iraq War in 2004 and
Sergeant Errol McKinney, U.S. Army, a Bahamian killed in a motorcycle accident
in 2013 shortly after to returning to Ft. Bliss, Texas following a deployment
to Afghanistan were also honored.
Gun Salute by members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.(Photo provided courtesy of Letisha Henderson – Bahamas Information Services)
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Among the officials on hand for the ceremony, U.S. Chargé
d’Affaires a.i. Lisa Johnson, Her Excellency Dame Marguerite Pindling, Governor
General of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis
and Mrs. Davis, Minister of National Security, Dr. Bernard Nottage and Mrs.
Nottage as well as other senior U.S. and Bahamian government and law
enforcement officials, members of the diplomatic corps, and family members of
the fallen heroes.
U.S. Chargé d' Affaires a.i. Lisa Johnson gives remarks during the Memorial Day ceremony held at the Clifton Memorial on Monday, May 25th, 2015. (Photos provided courtesy of Letisha Henderson – Bahamas Information Services)
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In her remarks, Her Excellency Dame Marguerite Pindling
noted that it is indeed appropriate that The Bahamas should join with the
United States in the annual observance because the two countries are united in
so many ways.
“I believe that this observance
also serves as a potent reminder of the need to reflect on the original values
which form the foundation of the United States and the Commonwealth of The
Bahamas, and through that reflection remind ourselves of the need for eternal
vigilance in the pursuit of the high ideals which form the foundation of our
democracies.”
Wreath laid by a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, onboard a Royal Bahamas Defence Force Vessel.(Photo provided courtesy of Letisha Henderson – Bahamas Information Services)
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Chargé d’Affaires Lisa Johnson noted
that the solemn occasion serves as an opportunity to honor service members, to
remember their courage and selfless dedication and to say thank you for their
sacrifices.
“Today,
like so many times before, our values and freedoms are being challenged around
the world. We salute and honor our
service men and women in uniform who voluntarily risk their lives and serve
away from loved ones to defend the United States and its allies from enemies of
the freedom that we all hold so dear.”
The Chargé added, “On this most solemn of days, we also honor the
families of those who have fallen, as they have borne the heavy burden of our
freedom. May we be equal to their example and to the task they have set before
us.”
The playing of Taps by members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.(Photo provided courtesy of Letisha Henderson – Bahamas Information Services)
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The ceremony included a moment of silence,
playing of taps, and a gun salute to
honor the lives of the servicemen. The
memorial concluded with release of wreaths by a member of the U.S. Marine Corps
Nassau Detachment on board a Royal Bahamas Defence Force vessel and a helicopter
fly-by and wreath-laying by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The U.S. Coast Guard fly-by and wreath release at the Memorial Day ceremony.(Photo provided courtesy of Letisha Henderson – Bahamas Information Services)
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U.S. Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Lisa Johnson, Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling flanked by senior U.S. and Bahamian government officials and family members of the fallen heroes.(Photo provided courtesy of Letisha Henderson – Bahamas Information Services)
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