A World War II Monument to remember 75th Anniversary of the return of Nauruans from Chuuk (Truk) on 31 January 1946 has been unveiled at the Aiue Boulevard.
The monument also remembers the tragic fate of 39 people with leprosy who were towed out to sea on July 11, 1943 and never came back.
President Lionel Aingimea was accompanied by war survivor Gaouwa Daoe for the unveiling.
He said the monument is a tribute to the generation of World War II.
“It symbolises the hardship, the struggle, the threatening of our fragile population, the leadership, the determination, the stories of heroes and heroines that have been passed through generations and the remembrance that we as a nation will never forget,” the President said.
A press release from GIO said the plaque reads: The Memorial Monument is dedicated in honour and remembrance of all Nauruans who were exiled to Truk but did not return, those who returned, those who remained in Naoero and perished as a result of War, those who suffered from Leprosy and were killed, and those who gave up their lives for our island home Naoero during World War II.
The names of over 1,200 Nauruans and foreigners who died on Nauru and Truk are inscribed in marble granite and embedded into the Nauru phosphate rock wall.
“It is a monument which captures the names of our loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice. It also includes those who survived the war and those who fought for freedom. We are blessed to have them amidst us today. It is their legacy and sacrifices that inspire us, so that we can live in peace and prosperity today.”
The date for the unveiling of this new memorial was selected as 11 July, in memory of the 39 Nauruan lepers who, on 11 July 1943, were towed out to sea and killed during the Japanese occupation of Nauru.
As the date falls on a Sunday this year, the official ceremony was moved to 10 July.
The ceremony was dominated by heavy rain but the formalities continued unabated.
The Nauru Police Force brass band performed Nauru Bwiema followed by the plaque unveiling, then the lowering of the flag to half-mast.
President Aingimea and Madam Aingimea laid the first wreath at the foot of the middle arch where stands the glass enclosure that holds soil from the leper station in Meneñ, soil from Truk and shrapnel from the American B25 bomber aircraft, Coral Princess, that was shot down over Nauru on 29 June 1944
Photo source Nauru Media News NTV