FSM Information Services
Press Release
On This Memorial Day, the Federated States of Micronesia Mourns the Loss of Micronesian & American Men & Women Who Gave the Ultimate Sacrifice in Service to Peace, Unity, & Liberty
PALIKIR, Pohnpei—On May 31st, 2021, the Government of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) mourned the loss of Micronesian and American men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our shared values of Peace, Unity, and Liberty.
“This Memorial Day, we solemnly pay our recognition and respect to our fallen fellow citizens, who remind us that sacrifice comes in many forms; for too many, this proved to be the ultimate sacrifice. We owe these heroes and their families, Micronesian and Americans, a debt of gratitude that we can never repay,” His Excellency David W. Panuelo, President of the FSM, said in a statement.
“The United States of America plays an essential role in the defense of freedom, the promotion of democracy, and the fight against the forces of tyranny and terrorism. We in the FSM, as an independent and sovereign Nation, place great importance in recognizing and sharing these principles with the United States, because they represent the foundation of our common aspirations and goals. Our special relationship, our Enduring Partnership, isn’t found anywhere else in the world, and we intend to always strengthen and maintain this relationship.”
“When I was a student at Eastern Oregon University, I read some of the work by the celebrated American Philosopher, the late John Dewey, who wrote that our shared values of democracy, the rule of law, and the promotion of civil liberties is ‘an expansion, not a contraction, of human life—an expansion in which nature and the science of nature are made the willing servants of human good.’”
“Of the many qualities and values that our People and Government admire in the United States, and the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces, one of them is that the American People are renowned for their optimism in the face of adversity, and a profound sense of unity in times of despair.”
“Though both 2020 and 2021 have thus far demonstrated their interest in challenging our World’s resolve, I call upon each of us, Micronesians and Americans, as we reflect today on the loss of the men and women who gave that ultimate sacrifice, to recall that uniquely American optimism, whether it’s in tackling threats like the COVID-19 Pandemic and Climate Change, or the strengthening of democratic institutions, to include the assurance of free and fair elections for all, and the promotion of our shared values.”
“The United States of America has been, remains, and will always be, our first and foremost ally,” President Panuelo concluded. “While we solemnly remember the brave Micronesians and Americans who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our shared values, our Nation pronounces, and reaffirms, its commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, and the promotion of democracy over tyranny. We will never let their sacrifices be in vain.”
