We Will Remember Them!

The Commissioner Of Corrections Commander Francis Kean and members of the Fiji Corrections Service joined the Returned Soldiers and Ex-servicemen, with the Fiji Military Forces, Fiji Navy, Fiji Police Force and British Army veterans and once again took to the streets of Suva in their ‘Remembrance Day’ March procession from the Suva Flea Market to Sukuna Park to commemorate the lives of their fallen comrades on Saturday 11 November 2019.

The day began with a dawn service at 5.30am led by the Commander of the Fiji Military Forces Rear Admiral Viliame Naupoto before they moved to the Naval Base in Walu Bay.

Members of procession where then ushered to the war memorial site for the commencement of the wreath laying service led by His Excellency the President Major-General (Retired) Jioji Konrote , the  Prime Minister Hon. Voreqe Bainimarama followed by Heads of Missions of the diplomatic core and family members of the those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Also accompanying the procession were British Army veterans and tourists who were ex-serviceman from England, Australia and New Zealand who had just disembarked from a tourist ship and joined the procession.

At Exactly the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, Returned Soldiers and Ex-servicemen President Major (Ret’) Ratu Peni Volavola recited the citation from the Binyon lines from the poem ‘The Fallen’:

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”

This day is always an emotional affair for the last remaining serviceman who served in Malaya, Solomons and the first lot who served in UN Missions as they are greatly reducing in numbers.  

Some tears were shed as family members remembered their loved ones who had either passed away or paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect our way of life.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM!