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Kilili presents WWII veteran with plaque, medallion
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Posted on Feb 14 2012
[B]WASHINGTON, D.C.[/B]—At the request of Mike and Erlinda Villagomez and on behalf of Saipan VFW Post 3457 and the 60th Anniversary Commemoration Committee, CNMI Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan and Rep. John Tierney delivered a plaque and medallion to Richard Urie of Peabody, Massachusetts on Saturday. Urie served as a radio operator in the U.S. Marines on Saipan during World War II. Tierney represents the area north of Boston, where Urie lives.
About 60 of Urie’s fellow veterans were on hand at Brooksby Retirement Village, giving Sablan and Tierney an opportunity to discuss many issues of concern with those who have served in the nation’s military.
“Mr. Urie, and thousands of young Americans like him, fought terrible battles in World War II, far from home and in places most of them had never even heard of—places like the Northern Mariana Islands. Their sacrifice and valor protected America; and it is a great honor to be able to have this meeting with Mr. Urie and some of his fellow veterans today,” Sablan said.
Urie’s dog tags were recovered on Saipan in 1981 by Mike Villagomez, a teacher at ChaCha Junior High, and his wife Erlinda. Randy Kruid, a U.S. Deputy Marshal on Saipan, learned of the tags and located Urie using the Internet. U.S. Attorney Tim Moran, who now lives in Boston, returned the dog tags to Urie last month; and Sablan was asked to deliver the plaque and medallion to the 86-year-old veteran.
To date, over 3,000 medallions have been bestowed to veterans of the World War II battles on Saipan and Tinian and throughout the Pacific through the auspices of Saipan VFW Post 3457 and the Commemorative Committee.
Tierney acknowledged the efforts of the Saipan organization. “This ceremony is especially moving, as we recognize Mr. Urie on behalf of a group of veterans who know the sacrifices our military men and women endure, and who strive to recognize them all across our country. I feel privileged to meet Mr. Urie, hear his stories and thank him for his service and sacrifice,” Tierney said at the event.
“I also want to thank Mr. Urie,” Sablan added. “He and his fellow servicemen changed the course of history for the Northern Marianas. We were not part of United States when Mr. Urie fought on our islands. But the American invasion put us on the path that ultimately freed us from centuries of colonial rule and led to U.S. citizenship and representation in Congress for the people of the Marianas. So the medallion that I presented to Mr. Urie is rightly inscribed: ‘Our Grateful Islands Remember.’” [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]
