Brothers in Arms
Remarks by Joseph A. Mussomeli,
Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy, Manila
at the Memorial Day Ceremony,
American Cemetery and Memorial,
May 30, 2005

 

They came from Appalachia and from the Cordillera. They worked in the cornfields of the Midwest and the rice paddies of central Luzon. They had homes in the Southwest desert and the Mindanao rainforest. They arrived from fishing villages that dot the Visayas and the Gulf coast. From the inner cities of Chicago, New York and Manila, they found their way here.

Some came for adventure and others to escape -- prison, or an unhappy marriage, or a soul-breaking destitution. Still others sought riches or glory, and a few even the pleasure of killing. More honorably, many hoped to serve their country, to protect their families, to unfurl ideals that let soar the human spirit: democracy, freedom, justice.

But they all died here for one cause only. Fatigued and hungry, the economic imperatives faded away. With fear clawing at their throats, the grand words and lofty principles lost resonance. Memories of home betrayed them, thoughts of family and lovers overwhelmed; the urge to escape back to the mundane and the comfortable was everywhere.

But they remained steadfast.

Now we stand here today in wonder of their sacrifice, humbled by their selflessness. Something more inexorable than economics, something loftier than freedom, something stronger than family held them in its grip.

Not eager to kill or to die, but still happiest of men. Together they stood their ground; together they now share it. For all their fear of dying, they feared even more letting each other down. For all their love of living, they loved each other more. These men died for each other. No greater love hath man than this.

*****