Commonwealth Day of Prayer
September 1, 2021
Honoring the US Military Service Members Who Have Served and Those Who Continue to Serve in Afghanistan and to Remember the Victims Lost in Kabul, Afghanistan
Over the last 20 years, men and women of the CNMI answered the call of our country to serve in operations within Afghanistan. I have met many who have returned from service in Afghanistan. They have enrolled in the Northern Marianas College, entered back into our private sector workforce, and many are currently continuing to serve the public as members of the CNMI government workforce.
There are those who answered the call to serve our nation that never returned home. In the national conversation, many are asking whether these sacrifices have been worth it. While I cannot speak to the individual struggles of each of our brave service members, we can all agree that the entire Commonwealth is proud of their service to our country and their commitment to the goals and ideals of our great nation.
These past several years have been trying for the Commonwealth, with natural disasters and a global pandemic, and through it our country has been a lifeline for our continued recovery. Our citizenship comes with benefits and responsibilities, and the greatest responsibility of placing our lives on the front line for the ideals of this nation has been shouldered on the brave men and women who have and continue to serve in our nation’s military.
As a community we should commemorate these brave service members and acknowledge that their contributions to our nation will never be forgotten. With so much still ongoing, and with many of our brothers and sisters still in service, I am calling on our community to join in prayer and commemoration for all our men and women who have served and continue to serve in our nation’s military.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, RALPH DLG. TORRES, Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the Commonwealth, do hereby proclaim Wednesday, September 1, 2021, as a Commonwealth Day of Prayer.
Furthermore, as a mark of solemn respect for the life and service of the US service members and victims of the terrorist attack on August 26, 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan, I hereby order, that the flag of the Commonwealth, together with the flag of the United States of America, be flown at half-staff at the Juan Atalig Sablan Memorial Building and upon all public buildings, instrumentalities, and grounds within the Commonwealth until sunset, September 1, 2021.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand on this 31st day of August 2021.
/s/
RALPH DLG. TORRES
Governor
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