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As the whole world remembers among others the formation of the modern Mexican Army in 1913, the Russian emancipation reforms of 1861, and the death on this day of the great father of Bulgarian Independence, Vasil Levski, in 1873, as well as the 1879 invention of the phonograph  by Thomas Edison, the Enigma tornado outbreak of 1884, the commencement of the naval segment of the Dardanelles Campaign in 1915, the signing of the controversial Executive Order 9066 and the Bombing of Darwin, Australia, in 1942 the beginning of the Battle of Kasserine Pass in 1943 and on this day in 1985 the national premiere in the UK of the BBC’s premier primetime drama EastEnders, today, just as in past years, and in these changing times in our world of today, as one united people of the United States of America and of our free world, we mark on this very day the seventy three anniversary of the beginning of the historic battle of Iwo Jima, which began on this day in 1945, and which would be one of the biggest battles ever to be fought by the United States Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater of Operations of the Second World War, and one of the greatest in its history.

73 years have indeed passed. But we cannot think to forget the beginning of this historic battle that forever changed the history of the Marine Corps. Iwo Jima was one of the defining moments in the long 243 year history of the Corps and a battle that cost the deaths of so many Marines in the day in which it all began after months of preparatory actions by the men of the 5th Marine Division, operationally deployed there as part of V Amphibious Corps under the command of General Holland Smith. On this very historic morning, preceded by a naval barrage by the vessels of the US Pacific Fleet, at around 0900h, the first Marines landed to heavy Japanese gunfire and within an hour and a half, just as the 5th Marine Divison advanced inland and the Marines from the 1st Battalion of the 27th Marine Regiment were already engaged in the midst of the battle to capture the Japanese built air field, the battle saw the unexpected  happen -  the final and ultimate sacrifice of one of the greatest Allied heroes of the Second World War and of the United States Marine Corps, no less than Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone, who was by then assigned as a machine gunner with Charlie Company 1/27 under the 5th Marine Division, who died as a result of a Japanese mortar attack on his position just as his company had been fighting with the rest of the battalion.  It has been over a century since the birth of this man in Raritan, New Jersey, within miles from the Big Apple to a Italian American family, who  served his country with distinction and pride as an Italian American in the 31st Infantry Regiment of the United States Army in Manila, Philippines in the middle of the 1930s and would in 1940 changed his service branch to that of the United States Marine Corps, and later on served as a machine gunner of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, during the actions of the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942-43 and therefore committed heroic deeds to his country on October 24-26 of the same year, during the battles for the defense of Henderson Field thus as a result of this heroic action it would be giving him the highest medal of valor of the United States Armed Forces, the Congressional Medal of Honor and thus on this very day in our history, the opening day of the historic battle of the liberation of Iwo Jima, gave his life for the defense of his country the United States of America, and for the liberation of all the peoples of the Asia-Pacific from the military forces of the Empire of Japan, who suffered heavily from years of Japanese rule and at the cost of so many deaths in Japanese administered areas in the region, in view of his two fellow Marines, machine gunner Private First Class Charles “Chuck” Tatum and Private First Class Steve Evanson from Baker Company 1/27, and as a result of his sacrifice and the American capture of the air base would reward him with a posthumous award of the Navy Cross – becoming in the process the very first time ever in the more than 243 year history of the Corps that an enlisted Marine had earned two of the highest awards of heroism in battle in this service branch of the United States Armed Forces. (This scene was reenacted in episode 8 of the 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, with the roles of the men being played by Jon Seda, Ben Esler and Dwight Braswell). He was one of many Marines from his division who paid with their lives the cost of the liberation of Iwo Jima from the forces of Imperial Japan.

What  as one nation and one united people of the free world this Friday, February 23, four days after the anniversary of the beginning of this battle – the 73rd year of the historic raising of the national flag of the United States on Mount Suribachi, will now be in clear light of the recent revelation of the United States Marine Corps which was made public on June 23 of 2016 thanks to efforts made by historians and historic experts, ending years of speculation and mystery surrounding the events of this this battle that is, for all generations, part of the history of not just the Corps, but of the entire United States Armed Forces. This was the very moment which is depicted in stone in the historic grounds of the Arlington National Cemetery’s Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, the very monument that serves as a eternal remember of the battle that changed this Corps for generations to come.

Within 4 days after the start of the battle, an historic instruction was given by the then Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal, who was there at the island to oversee the operations,  to GEN Smith that V Amphibious Corps will be charged with the historic responsibility of carrying and later hoisting on the top of Mount Suribachi after its capture by this formation the national flag of the United States of America  to ensure to all Americans and to the people of the free world that a “United States Marine Corps lasting for the next 500 years” will be the defender of the American nation it helped to build and the free world it has always pledged to defend and protect at all costs, and thus upon receiving this historic decision, gave the historic order to the 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment of the 5th Marine Division, under battalion commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Chandler Johnson. And thus, on the very morning of February 23, 1945, 73 years to that very important day in the history not just of the Marine Corps and of the Armed Forces, but of the entire United States of America, assigned a company under the battalion to shoulder this historic responsibility of carrying and raising the national colours, and that assignment fell on Easy Company 2/28 and its commander Captain Dave Severance, its 3rd Platoon under the leadership of its company XO and the new platoon commander 1Lt Harold G. Schrier (who took over command of the platoon as its past commander was pulled out due to wounds sustained in the battle) being ordered to form a 40-man team to secure the mountain top which has just been captured and to raise the national standard on that peak.   The 2/28 battalion adjutant 1LT George G. Wells (in other versions it was LTCOL Johnson himself) then went down and towards the battalion’s LST, the USS Missoula, to obtain the small national standard to be used for the historic event. The flag was then given to Schrier with some words of advice from the battalion commander and the order to hoist the flag once the inactive volcano was captured by elements of the division.  Among the Marines  who were there were SSGT Henry “Hank” Hansen, assisted by PHM2C James Bradley, PSGT Ernest I. Thomas Jr., CPLs Charles Lindberg and Harold Schultz, PFCs James Robertson and Raymond Jacobs and PVT Phil Ward. It was already morning, and the 40-man team of Easy Company, which had a makeshift flagpole made out of an old Japanese water pipe with the flag and now joined by Marine combat photographer SSGT Louis R. Lowery,  had already secured the summit of Mount Suribachi at around 1000h and this would be followed by the raising of that first flag, which was done by Schrier alongside the 7 Marines and lone Navy Corpsman.  (Schrier would later be awarded the Navy Cross for this act.)   Lowery took a photograph of that moment which every Marine in the island had rejoiced. SECNAV Forrestal, who had saw the first flag raising, informed LTCOL Johnson that he would take the flag back home and to his Pentagon office, but was denied, since according the battalion CO it was owned and will be maintained by the battalion. His request was for the flag to be replaced by a bigger one, and once again it was Easy Company 2/28 who handled the responsibility for the battalion.

Later on, right that same morning at around 11AM, LTCOL Johnson assigned several Easy Company, 2/28 Marines to lay the telegraph lines on Mt. Suribachi and to get the needed walkie-talkies for the battalion CP on the foothills of Suribachi. These Marines, all from 2nd Platoon of the same company, were SGT Michael Strank, CPL Harlon Block, and PFCs Ira Hayes and Franklin Sousley, who installed the lines, and PFC Rene Gagnon, who obtained the necessary walkie-talkies for the command post.  At the same time, the battalion  was ordered to provide the larged Stars and Stripes Secretary Forrestal wanted unfurled at once. No less than  1LT Alfred Turtle, the then battalion assistant commander for operations, was, per the official USMC records, given the orders from the battalion commander to ensure a large flag was to be flown atop the Suribachi summit.  Within minutes, the flag, which was sourced from a supply post what is now today Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (then Navy Station Pearl Harbor), was found on board the US Navy LST, LST 779, which was docked within distance from the beaches, and was given to him by US Navy Ensign Alan Wood who was with the ship’s crew, and with the flag in hand, returned to the battalion CP. But however, due to a 2004 Historian’s Office of the US Coast Guard discovery, per a 1991 New York Times interview by 2LT Wells, the Marines from Easy Company took that important order, and Gagnon received the flag, handwoven  by Mabel Sauvageau, a Mare Island Naval Shipyard worker, from the crew of the LST USS Duval County docked offshore. The flag was given to him by no less than USCG Quartermaster Robert Resnick, after he had to permission of the LST CO, LT Frank Molenda, to obtain the needed flag.  With the flag now in his hands, he steped into the sandy Iwo Jima beaches, meeting up with Wells and Turner and then returning to its battalion CP, his mission done.

At 1130h, Gagnon, holding the national flag hoisted on a longer former Japanese water pipe, was joined by 4 other Marines and by Corporal Schultz on a trek to the peak of Mount Suribachi. The squad of 6 was later joined by a filmmaker and 2 photographers: Joe Rosenthal and Bob Campbell and cameraman Bill Genaust (the latter two Marine combat photographers).  As the summit was now safe, it was decided that the time had already come. In the presence of all Marines, the Secretary of the Navy and in view of the naval fleet crews offshore, the smaller flag was removed from its place and the Marine squad of 6 – all from Easy Company of 2/28 Marines, 5th Marine Division – raised  the second, larger national flag to even more cheers from everyone, with Rosenthal taking the picture and Genaust the film of this important moment that would become in due time become part of the 243 year long history of the United States Marine Corps, the 70 year history of the United States Armed Forces and of the 242 year history of the entire United States of America. (This historic event in the history of the Corps was recreated with great detail in the 2006 film Flags of Our Fathers with Adam Beach, John Michael Cross, Barry Pepper, Ryan Philippe, Jesse Bradford and Benjamin Walker playing the flagbearers, and the late Paul Walker, Tom McCarthy and Alessandro Mastrobuono playing the men who raised the first flag, plus Jamie Bell, Neal McDonough and Robert Patrick, and the film Letters from Iwo Jima, made that same year, tells of the heroic Japanese defense of the island that took many Japanese lives in the process as against so many American Marines that had died and injured.) 

The historic battle, which ended in complete victory on the 26th of March, just more than a month since it began and of the historic raising of the Stars and Stripes atop Mount Suribachi, left the United States Armed Forces a huge number of casualties: 26,040, of which there were 6,821 US armed forces personnel who perished and an estimated 19 thousand wounded personnel. In the end, only Tatum, Bradley, Schultz, Gagnon and Hayes were among the hundreds of thousands who went back to their homeland as victors to the very people they swore to defend at the cost of their very own lives. Many Marines of all ranks had indeed shed their blood in the defense of the homeland during this historic battle that forever changed this service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It was a huge cost paid in the liberation of Iwo Jima, resulted in in estimated 18,000 Japanese military casualities, and only 215 surrended in the very end. Among the fallen were 12 Marines whose bravery at the cost of their lives were rewarded by the entire nation with the posthumous awards of the Medal of Honor.

As the great FADM Chester Nimitz had put it in his own words, “Uncommon valor was a common virtue” among the hundred thousand Marines of V Amphibious Corps who served there in this, one of the biggest compbat opeations that the United States Marine Corps undertook in the Second World War in the Pacific Theater of Operations and one of the biggest victories of the Allies in this part of the world. His words are forever recorded in the Arlington National Cemetery’s Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, the very monument made on the basis of the historic photograph of the Iwo Jima flag raising that today, after 64 years since its historic inauguration, proudly stands over the Arlington fields and the graves of so many Marines over the centuries who even at the cost of their lives, served faithfully always to their country and people, and honoring the 243 years of long and faithful service of the United States Marine to the people and government of the United States of America and to all the people of the free world. In these changing times, by recalling what has happened 73 years ago which began on this very day, we never forget to remember the heroic actons done during the days of the Iwo Jima Campaign and most especially the thousands who perished in this tiny island for the sake of the freedoms, dreams and aspirations not just of the people of the United States of America but also of all the people of the free world. Indeed, a huge price was paid by the blood shed by these Marines and Navy Corpsmen, together with their fellow soldiers, sailors, Coast Guardsmen and airmen, in the victory won in this battle and in countless others throughout this long war, together with fellow soldiers, sailors and airmen from fellow armed forces of the combatant Allied countries.

Ladies and gentlemen and people of our free world: As one united people, it is with deep respect and gratitude that we remember the events that transpired on this the opening day of the biggest battles of the Second World War in the Pacific Theater of Operations and the day of the ultimate sacrifice of one of the greatest men of the  United States Marine Corps, with profound gratitude, humble respect and our deepest thanks for the efforts made for the victory won in this island and for the sacrifices made by the hundreds of Marines and sailors who died liberating this island from the Japanese and whose heroism and courage made them a part of the long military history of our independent United States of America, and thus today remember the heroes, veterans and fallen of the Battle of Iwo Jima, the very battle that changed forever the entire United States Marine Corps, and the entire American people, armed forces, and nation, a battle that will forever be remembered by all generations of Americans and people all over the world. This immortal battle, one of many Allied victories in the Pacific Theater of Operations, shall be remembered as the one very battle that showed the world the bravery, courage and determination of the United States Marine for the defense of the American nation and all the free people of the world, and for the preservation of the values of freedom and liberty on which the United States was formed, thanks in part of the courage and gallantry shown by the US Marines in the early years of the nation that it helped to build thanks to the efforts of the Second Continental Congress 243 years past. And so today with profound remembrance of the thousands of Marines, sailors, soldiers, airmen and Coast Guardsmen who served and the ones who perished in this historic battle for the defense of the freedom and liberty of our nation, the hopes of our people and the future destiny of our free world, we light once again the eternal memory of all our fallen men and women of the armed forces of the United States who perished during the whole of the US involvement in the Second World War, and hope it will remain alive in all our hearts, especially for active and reserve servicemen and women and veterans of the United States Marine Corps who today mark this historic battle that has become part of our long history, as we keep in our remembrance the legacy that this long and painful battle has left on to our nation and to the Marine Corps.

As we think of all our remaining living veterans of this battle and of all remaining living veterans of our greatest generation who fought in the Second World War, we today honor their service by living our lives worthy of all who fought for the United States and for the freedoms of all the people of the world most especially of those who died in the fields of battle. For it is by what  they have done 73 years ago in the sands and soils of Iwo Jima that we today enjoy the fruits of freedom, independence and liberty, these very values that are worth defending and fighting for, especially for the sake of our future generations. Their memory will forever remain a part of our history and patrimony and in these changing times shall always be part of the memory of the world’s Greatest Generation – part of the millions of Allied men and women, military, police, EMS and civilian alike, who brought the Second World War into its victorious conclusion, the anniversaries of which we anticpate with profound joy and in deep gratitude for all they have done for the sake of all of us and of the generations to come!

In closing, as one united people, on this the 73rd year anniversary of the beginning of the liberation of Iwo Jima from the military forces of the Empire of Japan by the servicemen of the United States Armed Forces, may we today and every day honor and remember for all time the eternal memory of all those who fought in the battle of Iwo Jima who made their mark in the history of both the United States Marine Corps and of the entire United States of America!

And may we today uphold the legacy of these brave Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen of Iwo Jima who paved the way towards the future we hope for our generations to come, for the defense of the freedom and independence of the free world and towards the bright future of our great United States of America!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE MEMORY OF ONE OF THE GREAT HEROES OF THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS, THE GREAT HERO OF THE BATTLE OF GUADALCANAL, GUNNERY SERGEANT JOHN BASILONE!

ETERNAL GLORY AND MEMORY TO THE HEROES, MARTYRS AND VETERANS OF THE GREAT BATTLE OF IWO JIMA!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE MEMORY OF ALL THE ALLIED HEROES AND FALLEN OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS!

LONG LIVE THE 73RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE BEGINNING OF THE HISTORIC BATTLE OF IWO JIMA!

LONG LIVE THE GLORIOUS, INVINCIBLE AND LEGENDARY UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS, ALWAYS FAITHFUL TILL THE END FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND OF THE FREE WORLD!

GLORY TO THE VICTORIOUS PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND HER UNIFORMED MILITARY AND CIVIL SERVICES!

AND FINALLY, GLORY TO THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, DEFENDERS OF OUR FREEDOM AND LIBERTY AND GUARANTEE OF A FUTURE WORTHY OF OUR GENERATIONS TO COME!

MAY GOD BLESS THESE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NOW AND FOREVER!

Semper Fidelis! Oorah!

1700h, February 19, 2017,the 242st year of the United States of America, the 243rd year of the United States Army, Navy and Marine Corps, the 1234th of the International Olympic Committee, the 122nd of the Olympic Games, the 77th since the beginning of the Second World War in the Eastern Front and in the Pacific Theater, the 73rd since the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and the victories in Europe and the Pacific and the 71st of the United States Armed Forces.

Semper Fortis

John Emmanuel Ramos

Makati City, Philippines

Grandson of Philippine Navy veteran PO2 Paterno Cueno, PN (Ret.)

                                    
(Honor by Hans Zimmer) (Platoon Swims) (Rendering Honors)

Ladies and gentlemen, to all the people of the United States of America, to all our remaining living veterans of the Second World War of 1939-1945 and of all conflicts past and present and their families, to our veterans, active servicemen and women, reservists and families of the entire United States Armed Forces, and of all the uniformed military and civil security services of the Allied combatants of this conflict, including from the military and civil uniformed services of Pakistan, India, Poland, the Republic of the Congo, Indonesia and the Republic of Korea, to all the immediate families, relatives, children and grandchildren of the deceased veterans, fallen service personnel and wounded personnel of our military services and civil uniformed security and civil defense services, to all our workers, farmers and intellectuals, to our youth and personnel serving in youth uniformed and cadet organizations and all our athletes, coaches, judges, sports trainers and sports officials, and to all our sports fans, to all our workers of culture, music, traditional arts and the theatrical arts, radio, television, digital media and social media, cinema, heavy and light industry, agriculture, business, tourism and the press, and to all our people of the free world:

As we all prepare for tomorrow’s historic 72nd year anniversary since the historic proclamation of the conclusion of all combat actions and the surrender of the military forces of the Empire of Japan, and as we rejoice in the recent victorious and sucessful 2017 Teen Choice Awards,  as I send to all of you my advance greetings on this holiday today we pay vigil as we await the 15th day of August, a day of glory and victory, a day of remembrance and honor to the millions who perished in the Second World War of 1939-1945 and the millions of uniformed personnel of the armed services of the Allies who fought this world to its victorious conclusion and the defeat of the Axis Powers in all theaters of this global conflict.

For it was on this day in in 1937 the Nationalist Chinese Air Force came victorious in the first aerial battle of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War and of the 2nd World War as a whole after bringing down 6 Imperial Japanese Navy bombers.

It was on this day in in 1941 the Atlantic Charter aiming for preparing for the events after the Second World War, was signed, just paving to way for the later creation of NATO in 1949.

It was on this day in 1945 when the people of Vietnam, urged by the Viet Minh, began to plan for a series of general protest actions and the creation of a national government for the country by beginning to occupy public buildings under Japanese pressure, clearing the way for a national revolution of independence against both Japan and France that would begin in days’ time just as the war was about to close.

It was on this day in 1947 when the independence of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was declared and on this day in 1959 the National Football League was officially founded.

And so today, excatly 72 years ago, as the document of surrender to be read by no less than HIM Emperor Hirohito, as head of state of the Japanese Empire and commander in chief of the Imperial military forces of Japan was now finished ahead of schedule, the people of the world awaited for that proclamation of the Japanese head of state officially ending all combat actions in the Pacific Theater  and therefore announcing that the “unbearable” Postdam Declaration terms of unconditional surrender of the entire country and its military forces the Allies had pledged that very spring at the closing stages of the European theaters of this war will now take effect and that the military forces of the Empire will officially cease all combat operations in their respective areas of responsibility that remained within the Asia-Pacific as a result of the Allied offensives in the years following the historic attack on Pearl Harbor in Honolulu on the 7th day of December in 1941, that very declaration that everyone had been waiting for several months which was to be offically declared to all of Japan and the world on NHK Public Radio on the midday hours of the following day, August 15, 1945 - the great Catholic and Orthodox Christian Feast of the Dormition and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Theotekos and Mother of God, the date of the historic 1920 “Miracle at the Vistula” and Polish Armed Forces Day, the 1st anniversary of Operation Dragoon, marking the Allied landings on southeastern France in 1944, and the future national days of India, the Republic of Korea and the Republic of the Congo - within days from the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet declaration of war over Japan and the advance of Soviet forces towards northern Korea and Manchuria supported by Korean communist insurgents. Effective midday Japan Standard Time on this very historic day, with the publication of this proclamation the end had come for all combat actions in the Pacific and China-Burma-India Theaters of Operations of the Second World War, a war that began in the summer of 1937 with Japanese military forces from Manchuria and directly from Japan and Korea surging towards China and would evolve into a full-blown  worldwide conflict that would for 5 years, 11 months and 32 days, first in Europe and later in the Asia-Pacific region, inflict so heavy damages on so many countries it affected,  had claimed so many lives and wounded on both sides of this war and saw livelihoods and infrastructure heavily damaged and ruined. This historic declaration of the 15th of August was only the beginning of the end of the final chapter of this war, which began earlier that spring when Germany and the Italian Social Republic fell to the hands of the victorious Allies together with the pro-Axis governments in Hungary and the former Czechoslovakia.

Upon the sacrifices made the millions of war dead of the Allied countries and more than billions of civilian lives perished in the years of the war now stands a free and peaceful world built upon the victories made against fascism and totalitarian rule in those 5 years and 32 days that forever changed our planet in land, air and sea battle, covert and counter intelligence operations and partisan actions, sowing the seeds of freedom that today have bore much fruit in the actions of all our military and civil security forces, our working people, our cultural workers, and most of our our youth of the generations of the present and of the future, today, 72 years on, as we reflect on this historic anniversary while remembering with sadness the deaths by the millions during the Nazi Holocaust of Jews, members of other religious communities,  people who sympathized with the resistance movement and anti-Nazi activists and politicians, as well as of Poles and others in Soviet concentration camps and Gulag camps and by exile to  other parts of the USSR of various ethnic communities, as well as the massive Japanese persecution and murder of the Chinese and dissident citizens and people of other faiths in the Asia-Pacific region and the unjust imprisonment of America’s Japanese minority communities, which despite it all would lead to the raising of an all-Japanese infantry regiment within the US Army and the victories of Japanese Americans against their comrades from the homeland who had brought suffering, hardship and death to countlesss others in Asia we recall the great Allied and partisan victories in different terrains and in adverse weather in all the theaters of this wide conflict that has changed the face of the world forever, in a war that saw the changing evolution of our military forces, as well as of the millions of civilian home front workers and laborers who through their assistance to our millions of men and women who served in the military forces of the Allied beligerent nations and fought with distinction during these years and to the Allied governments and governments-in-exile, have helped make this victory happen.

This was a huge victory for the peoples of the world against the forces of international fascism, imperialism, dictatorship and totalialism, a victory that has and will continue to be a part ofour history and an inspiration to our youth and our future generations to honor their memory and to be worthy of all they have fought for.

Today, with our deepest remembrance and honor to all those who have died, the heroes, the deceased veterans and the remaining living veterans of the Second World War in Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Atlantic, and in the Asia Pacific especially those from the major and minor Allied combatant countries starting from the opening shots in China in 1937, up to the formal beginning of the war in Europe in 1939 and in the Pacific in 1941, all the way towards the final victories won against the Axis, first in Europe on May 8 and 9 of that great year, and finally in the Asia-Pacific on the 2nd day of September the same year, which ended this historic war that forever altered our destiny as one people, exactly 72 years on to the day of the statement that officially ended a war that had forever changed our world, with our deep humility and with great pride and honor to all who served and to all who made the ultimate sacrifice, we await the day of the great anniversary of the Imperial Rescript of Surrender officially ending all combat actions in the Pacific Theater of Operations of the Second World War and send our best greetings to the people of the world and most of all to all our remaing living Allied military and partisan veterans who as one form “the world’s Greatest Generation”. Their collective memories which are remember today and in every day of our lives will be forever in our hearts for all generations, for they stood as the defenders of a world that will never accept the teachings of fascism, racism and xenophobia and will always block any chance for evil actions to be a part of our lives. It is they who stood up to the enemies who were threatening not just their way of life but also of so many others and risked their lives to defend the freedom they cherished to give to the generations of today and of the generations to come.

May we hope that the legacy entrusted to the generations of today by these millions of heroes, the fallen and our remaining veterans of this war whom we honor today and tomorrow as we mark this historic anniversary since the full termination of combat actions in the Pacific Theater, and whose stories have been remembered in various works and in radio, television, film and digital media, and who today we and the generations of tomorrow must keep in our minds and hearts, among them the men and women of the intelligence services who helped provide the Allied military leadership  with information on enemy locations and movements, Easy Company of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, formerly 4th Brigade Combat Team and now 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, United States Army, the brave men of the 1st Marine Division’s 1st, 5th and 7th Marine Regiments, and the tankers of the 2nd Armored Division, be forever in our memories and our profound remembrance, not just by their descendants, but by the very people they fought for and by the people and youth of today and our future generations so that we can entrust these stories to them who will carry the eternal flame of remembrance for those who have gone before them, even as the rising of groups from the far-right and far-left sectors of society have become for us a source of anxiety and concern about the cost that this war had brought to the world. As we celebrate this very day with great anicipation, may we remember the sacrifices made for the defense of freedoms and liberties during the years of war that forever changed the very world we live in, all for the sake of fighting the evil forces of fascism in the European continent, North Africa and in the Asia Pacific!

We indeed are in changing times, wherein the very reasons why this war was fought are breaking out into the surface and into our society of today. As the veterans of the Second World War –all those who fought as military personnel and paramilitary guerillas in the European, Mediterranean, China-Burma-India and Pacific Theaters of Operations  - are dying out one after the other, we, all the people of the free world, must do all we can to ensure that this victory and all the Allied actions of the Second World War will be honored and remembered by all of us, especially our future generations, for the memory of this greatest generation who fought this war from the beginning towards its victorious end in May and September 1945 in all its theaters and in the home front for the sake of one goal: to defend not just our liberty and freedom, but also the future of our world and of all of humanity must be renewed, sustained and most of all be given to our future generations and most of all to our children and youth, who must continue celebrating this great holiday with deep respect, reverence, and everlasting gratitude for them who risked their lives for the sake of the freedoms we enjoy in this present time.  With a sincere promise never to see the repeat of the errors of history that caused this war, we therefore promise to them to honor their sacrifices and their role in building a better world and bring forth the defeat of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and the Empire of Japan. And we will do our part and our best ability in defending their immortal legacy to the spirit of freedom all over the world, especially to all our generations to come. To our remaining Allied veterans, to the veterans of other conflicts and of our men and women and veterans of the civil uniformed services, we today pledge with our hearts to remember your services to your countries and to honor your legacy of having helped achieve this great victory. And most of all, we promise to honor your fallen comrades and friends in the battlefield, who died fighting their enemies so that we can live in a world of peace, progress, prosperity, development and a clear vision towards our future.

To all those who served in all the theaters of the 2nd World War, especially to the heroes, martyrs, living and deceased veterans from the victorious Allies and to all those serving today in the military and civil defense services of the Allied combatant nations who 72 years ago helped bring this war to its end and the victory against the Axis Powers, in anticipation not just for this day buit for the upcoming 72nd anniversary of the conclusion of the Second World War in the Pacifc Theater, our dearest greetings and thanks to all of you on this very special day for the memory they have will be for us our treasure for the generations to come, the memory that will forever be a part of a future and a world that is truly worth defending!

In anticipation of the 97th anniversary since the Polish victory in the historic Miracle in the Vistula against the Workers’ and Peasant’ Red Army, we also remember the veterans and all active and reserve servicemen and women of the Polish Armed Forces as they, tomorrow, honor the 97th year since the victory against the Red Army and the forces of communism  by the brave men of the Polish Land Forces in the Battle of Warsaw and Polish Armed Forces Day, for their heartfelt service to the Polish nation and people and for their determination to keep its spirit of freedom alive - a spirit of keeping the defenses of the nation that for a long time have been a part of the Polish national consciousness for centuries. We also remember the countless Koreans, Indians, Pakistanis, Vietnamese and Congolese who worked and sacrificed for the freedom and independence of their homelands and for the progress they have achieved since independence. And in anticipation of the 72nd year anniversary of Indonesian independence on the 17th day of this month, we remember the many Indonesians from various racial and religious backgrounds who under a common banner of national independence, united as one to achieve this great goal.

In conclusion to these words, as we await the 72nd year anniversary since the end of hostillities in the Asia-Pacific and the official notice of the surrender of the military forces of the Empire of Japan, may we today treasure this very important day with respect , reverence and honor to all who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of our freedom and for the victory we honor every day of our lives. And may be always ready and prepared to continue to honor their place in history, to stand worthy of their legacy, and to help win a world for our tomorrow that is peaceful, prosperous, clean and with a bright future for our children and the generations of our tomorrow – a world that is worth defending and worth fighting for!

And as the men of Easy Company will always say: WE STAND ALONE TOGETHER!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE FALLEN AND THE HEROES AND VETERANS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN EUROPE, NORTH AFRICA AND THE PACIFIC FROM 1939-1945, WHOSE LEGACY WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN BY ALL THE GENERATIONS TO COME!

ETERNAL GLORY TO ALL THOSE WHO GAVE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE FOR THE FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE OF OUR WORLD AGAINST FASCISM, NAZISM AND IMPERIALISM IN THE FIELDS OF BATTLE, THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS, AND IN THE HOME FRONT!

LONG LIVE THE VICTORIOUS MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SERVICE OF THE ALLIES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN EUROPE, NORTHERN AFRICA AND THE ASIA-PACIFIC!

LONG LIVE THE EVER-VICTORIOUS PEOPLE OF THE FREE WORLD AND ALL OUR SERVING ACTIVE AND RESERVE SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN AND VETERANS OF THE ARMED SERVICES OF ALL THE COMBATANT ALLIED COUNTRIES THAT HELPED WIN THIS GREAT WAR AGAINST FASCISM, NAZISM AND IMPERIALISM, AS WELL AS ALL OUR ACTIVE AND RESERVE SERVICE PERSONNEL, CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES AND VETERANS OF THE POLICE, FIREFIGHTING, FORESTRY, BORDER CONTROL, CUSTOMS AND RESCUE SERVICES AS WELL AS OUR YOUTH OF TODAY AND THE CHILDREN OF OUR TOMORROW WHO WILL CARRY ON THE LEGACY OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE THEM!

LONG LIVE THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN AND THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA!

LONG LIVE THE 56TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO!

LONG LIVE THE 97TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE POLISH ARMED FORCES AND THE HISTORY VICTORY OVER THE SOVIET UNION IN THE 1920 BATTLE OF WARSAW!

LONG LIVE THE GLORIOUS 69TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA!

LONG LIVE THE 72ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE JAPANESE DECLARATION OF SURRENDER AND THE LIBERATION OF THE KOREAN PENINSULA FROM JAPANESE COLONALISM AND AGGRESSION!

LONG LIVE THE GLORIOUS 72ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS AND THE GREAT VICTORY OVER THE FORCES OF THE EMPIRE OF JAPAN AND THE AXIS POWERS!

TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO ALL OVER THE WORLD, A HAPPY  72ND  VICTORY OVER JAPAN DAY!

And may I repeat the immortal words of the Polish National Anthem:

Poland has not yet perished, so long as we still live!

Pakistan Zindabad! Hindustan Zindabad! Daehan Minguk Manse!

May God Forever Bless The United States of America!

CURRAHEE! AIR ASSAULT! ARMY STRONG! SEMPER FI! Ooooooooooooooraaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

1200h, August 14, 2017, the 241th year of the United States of America and the 150th of Canada, the 242nd year of the United States Army, Navy and Marine Corps, the 123rd of the International Olympic Committee, the 121st of the Olympic Games, the 76th since the beginning of the Second World War in the Eastern Front and in the Pacific Theater, the 72nd since the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and the victories in Europe and the Pacific, the 5th since the attacks on Benghazi, the 12th of Operation Red Wings, the 42nd of the TV program Battle of the Network Stars, the 70th of the United States Department of Defense and the United States Armed Forces and the 50th of the modern Canadian Armed Forces.

Semper Fortis

John Emmanuel Ramos

Makati City, Philippines

Grandson of Philippine Navy veteran PO2 Paterno Cueno, PN (Ret.)

(Requiem for a Soldier) (Honor by Hans Zimmer)

(Slavsya from Mikhail Glinka’s A Life for the Tsar)

(Victory Day by Lev Leshenko)

(Last Post) (Taps) (Rendering Honors)