‘We won’t forget them’

Every single day, William “Bill” Lieto, 53, wishes his son, the late U.S. Army Sgt. Wilgene Lieto, is still alive, but he said he and his family have to move on while continuing to honor the heroism and memory of their son and the rest of the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice, those who are serving, and others who served, in the name of freedom and peace.

The late Army sergeant was one of two from the CNMI who lost their lives on a patrol mission in Balad, Iraq when their vehicle hit a bomb on Oct. 31, 2005.

The other one was U.S. Army Spc. Derence Jack.

Both left the CNMI for a one-year tour of duty in Iraq in January 2005, as part of the War on Terror spawned by the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon that fateful day of Sept. 11, 2001.

“The memory of a lost son will always be there. That spot in your heart will always be there. But you have to live your life, move on, and do something for those that are still serving, through prayers or something else,” the senior Lieto told Saipan Tribune, while volunteering his time painting a social hall in Tanapag by the beach on a rainy Saturday morning.

Lieto said Memorial Day, which the CNMI observes today with the rest of the nation, is observed “not to bring them back but a little something that shows we haven’t forgotten them.”

“Freedom is not free. People pay with their lives, and that makes them heroes. They gave everything for the freedom of everyone. Among them is my son,” the father said. “Every day, I wish he were still alive.”

The older Lieto, now president of the Tanapag Parish Council, said he misses his son but having his family, relatives, and friends all make it easier to cope and move on.

“We are a small community, the family support is always there,” added Lieto, who has been a maintenance staff at Garapan Elementary School for 25 years and is himself a former Army Reserve member from 1982 to 1986.

Rota resident David M. Santos said yesterday that while he had been taking part in Memorial Day ceremonies for years because he comes from a family of service members, the event took on a deeper meaning when his 21-year-old son, the late U.S. Marine Cpl Dave Michael Maliksi Santos, was killed at the hands of a fellow Marine in the Helmand Province in Afghanistan on July 16, 2010.

“Losing a son or a loved one in the service gives a whole new meaning to Memorial Day. He is a fallen hero not only to the family but also to the community,” the older Santos said.

He called on community members to take part in Memorial Day ceremonies today.

“This is a day to come together for our fallen heroes. People should set aside politics and other personal conflicts for this day, and I hope there will be more people showing up at the ceremony today,” he said.

Rep. Ray Yumul (R-Saipan), who served in Iraq along with Lieto and Jack as members of the 100 Battalion, 442 Infantry Regime of the U.S. Army Reserve, used to think of Memorial Day as a nice day-off while growing up. That is, until he served in the military.

“Since after deployments to Iraq, it took on a whole new meaning to me,” Yumul told Saipan Tribune. “I remember those who I am so proud to have served with, who died while serving our nation and all those from the CNMI who have also died serving our military.”

Yumul said Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for all military men and women who have died while serving the United States military since the Civil War and on to the present.

“Now I will always reflect on this day for the rest of my life. Rest in peace SSG Lieto and CPL Jack, my brothers in arms,” Yumul said.

Firefighter 1 Patrick George, 34, said it’s always good to honor those who serve and served. He said he went to school with Lieto—also a police officer—at Hopwood Junior High School and Marianas High School.

“We paid tribute to him and others who were police officers and military personnel during the recent Police Memorial,” George said on Saturday’s Saipan Agricultural Fair in Susupe.

Lieto, Jack, and Santos are but three of CNMI sons and daughters who paid with their lives for peace and freedom—from at least World War II to the ongoing War on Terror.

In the War on Terror alone, the CNMI has already lost 16 sons and daughters. They are among the more than 6,000 U.S. men and men who lost their lives since 2001.

Besides Lieto, Jack and Santos, the 13 other men and women from the CNMI who lost their lives while serving in the War against Terror include: Army Sgt. Yihgyh “Eddie” L. Chen (April 4, 2004), Army Sgt. Jesse J. Castro (Dec. 6, 2006), Marine Lance Cpl Adam Q. Emul (Jan. 29, 2007), Army SPC Leeroy A. Camacho (Feb. 9, 2007), Army PFC John D. Flores (May 3, 2007), Army PFC Victor M. Fontanilla (May 17, 2007), Army Spc. Joe Junior G. Charfauros (June 20, 2007), Navy Seaman Anamarie San Nicolas Camacho (Oct. 22, 2007), Army Sgt. Brian S. Leon Guerrero (July 10, 2008), Army SSgt. Julian F. Manglona (Oct. 9, 2008), Air Force SrA Audra P.M. Winkfield (June 19, 2009), Sgt. George Joseph Affatica Sablan (Feb. 10, 2012), and Marine Lance Cpl Ramon Taisakan Kaipat (April 11, 2012).

Ann Marie Satur, 23, a cousin of the late Marine Lance Cpl Ramon T. Kaipat, told Saipan Tribune during a Mass for her cousin that she’s proud and thankful for her cousin’s sacrifice.

“He’s a true Refaluwasch warrior. He’s our hero, someone who gave up his life to ensure we continue to live our life freely,” Satur said in an interview inside the Mount Carmel Cathedral in Chalan Kanoa.

Kaipat was killed while on combat patrol in the Helmand Province in Afghanistan on April 11, 2012. He died as a result of “multiple injuries” from an improvised explosive device. He was a member of a dismounted patrol that was struck by an IED while on combat patrol.

Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan (Ind-MP) said this Memorial Day, “Give honor, give respect and give gratitude” to those who served and are serving in the military.

Today’s Memorial Day observance on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota caps the observance of Memorial Week.

In previous years, special guests for Memorial Day observance spoke of heroism of countless men and women around the world.

“We must help future generations understand that the act of committing yourself to your country and being willing to fight—and die—for the freedom of others is among the most noble endeavors,” one of them had said.