MR. ZAMPERINI, AS THIS IS BEING VIDEOTAPED, I’M HAPPY TO REPORT TO YOU THAT THERE IS A GREAT CROWD OF AMERICAN PATRIOTS AND VERY DISTINGUISHED MARSHALLESE VISITORS AND FRIENDS WHO ARE ALL VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS DEDICATION.
MR. PRESIDENT, MINISTERS, GENERAL FORMICA, COL. BOEHME, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE’RE HERE TO CELEBRATE AN AMERICAN HERO. LOUIS ZAMPERINI IS LIVING A STORIED LIFE AND WE ALL FEEL FORTUNATE TO HAVE A GLIMPSE OF IT, THROUGH THE BESTSELLER, UNBROKEN, AND I UNDERSTAND THERE IS NOW A MOVIE IN THE WORKS AS WELL.
THE QUALITIES WE ADMIRE IN LOUIS ZAMPERINI, DETERMINIATION, RESILIENCE, RESOURCEFULNESS, ARE ALSO QUALITIES THAT HAVE ALLOWED THE MARSHALLESE PEOPLE TO SURVIVE ON THESE NARROW STRIPS OF LAND, THESE TWIN CHAINS OF SUNRISE AND SUNSET ISLANDS. IT IS TERRIFIC TO SHARE THIS MOMENT WITH PEOPLE WHO I KNOW APPRECIATE A GOOD STORY AND KNOW FIRSTHAND THE PERILS OF THE SEA AND THE IMPORTANCE OF NEVER GIVING UP.
BEFORE GOING ANY FURTHER, I HAVE TO FIRST SAY I LOVE COMING TO THIS CAFETERIA. THE FOOD HERE IS GOOD! THE PEOPLE ARE FRIENDLY, AND THEY DO A GREAT JOB HERE. WE DON’T HAVE SUBWAY OR BURGER KING IN MAJURO, BUT I PASS UP THE FOOD COURT EVERYTIME TO COME HERE. YOU CHOSE WELL, COLONEL, PICKING THIS AS AN APPROPRIATE PLACE TO HONOR LOUIS ZAMPERINI.
I WAS SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT PRESIDENT AND MR.S. LOEAK, MINISTERS MULLER AND DEBRUM, SECRETARY NEMRA, SENATOR KABUA AND THE DISTINGUISHED MARSHALLESE DELEGATION TODAY ACCEPTED GENERAL FORMICA’S INVITATION, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT EVERY MARSHALLESE CITIZEN KNOWS A STORY OF SURVIVAL AT SEA. AND AS SOME OF THE WORLD’S BEST SAILING CANOE MAKERS AND MASTER NAVIGATORS, I KNEW THE PRESIDENT AND HIS DELEGATION WOULD APPRECIATE KNOWING MORE ABOUT MR. ZAMPERINI. A MARSHALLESE STICK CHART IN FACT, MIGHT HAVE COME IN HANDY!
OF COURSE LOUIS ZAMPERINI’S STORY IS MORE THAN JUST A SURVIVAL AT SEA STORY. IF HIS STORY WAS JUST ABOUT HIS OLYMPIC RUN IN 1936, OR HIS SERVICE IN THE PACIFIC, IT WOULD BE A GREAT STORY. BUT AS LAURA HILDEBRAND’S BIOGRAPHY “UNBROKEN” TELLS US, LOUIS ZAMPERINI’S STORY STARTS WITH THE STORY OF A RASCAL. SOME OF LOUIS’ BEST RUNS MAY HAVE BEEN FROM THE COPS!
BUT THE BROADER REASON I’M HAPPY TO SEE THE MARSHALLESE DELEGATION IS BECAUSE WE HAVE A SHARED HISTORY AND ONE OF THE RICHEST PARTNERSHIPS IN THE WORLD. MARSHALLESE WORKERS ON THIS GARRISON ARE CRITICAL TO ITS SUCCESS AND INTEGRAL TO ITS CHARACTER. THE BUILDINGS WE BUILD TOGETHER HERE, AND THE MISSIONS WE CONDUCT FROM MARSHALLESE SOIL ARE SOURCES OF PRIDE AND SECURITY FOR BOTH OF OUR COUNTRIES.
THE GARRISON IS A NEIGHBOR, PARTNER, SOURCE OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING, AND OFTEN ROLE MODEL FOR MARSHALLESE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ENTER THE US MILITARY. AND I WOULD LIKE VERY MUCH TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND APPRECIATE THE MARSHALLESE CITIZENS SERVING IN THE US ARMED FORCES., TAKING ON TOUGH ASSIGNMENTS AND LEARNING SKILLS THEY CAN BRING BACK HOME TO THE RMI. MARSHALLESE ARE DESERVEDLY PROUND OF THEIR UNIQUE AND VALUABLE ROLE HERE IN THE PACIFIC, IN BATTLES PAST AND FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE.
IN THAT SENSE, GARRISON SUCCESSES AND CELEBRATIONS ARE SHARED. JUST AS OUR LOSSES ARE SHARED. MR. PRESIDENT WE MOURN WITH YOU THE LOSS OF CHRIS DEBRUM’S DAUGHTER, KRISTA LAST WEEK.
MR. ZAMPERINI, I KNOW YOU WOULD BE PROUD OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY ROLE OF THIS GARRISON. THE MISSILE DEFENSE WORK, SPACE TRACKING, AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT UNDERWAY HERE IN KWAJALEIN ADDS A REAL, TANGIBLE BENEFIT TO AMERICA’S READINESS AND TO GLOBAL SECURITY. THIS WORK COULD BE DONE NO WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD, AND THE PEOPLE HERE NOT ONLY DO TREMENDOUS WORK, BUT UNDER COL BOEHM’S LEADERSHIP REPRESENT THE UNITED STATES IN A MULTITUDE OF WAYS.
ONE THING WORLD WAR TWO TAUGHT IS THAT THERE IS NO ISOLATION FROM THE WORLD. TWO GREAT CIVILIZATIONS CLASHED HERE IN THE PACIFIC. THE REMINDERS, PLANES THAT FLEW ALONGSIDE MR. ZAMPERINI AND SHIPS THAT TRANSPORTED HIS FELLOW SOLDIERS STILL LITTER THE OCEAN. THE MARSHALLS ARE CONSIDERED REMOTE, BUT THERE WAS NO ESCAPE FROM THE WAR.
LIKEWISE, TODAY, OUR CHALLENGES ARE SHARED. GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE, JOBS, EDUCATION, ALL OF THE DIFFICULTIES WE FACE, WE SHARE. BUT THEY ARE NOT INSURMOUNTABLE. THAT’S WHAT LOUIZ ZAMPERINI’S EXAMPLE TEACHES US. THERE ARE NO INSURMOUNTABLE PROBLEMS. IF HE COULD BECOME AN OLYMPIC ATHLETE, SURVIVE A BRUTAL CAPTIVITY, SURVIVE AT SEA, WHAT PROBLEM IS TOO BIG FOR US.? WHAT CHALLENGE IS INSURMOUNTABLE?
NONE.
MY FAVORITE LOUIS ZAMPERINI QUOTE IS “…..
“I was raised to face any challenge.”
WE’RE ALL HERE TO ANSWER CHALLENGES…. WE’VE GOT PLENTY OF THEM… BUT WE HAVE HEROES LIKE LUCKY LOUIS TO SHOW US THE WAY.
GOOD LUCK TO THE ZAMPERINI FAMILY… THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION TODAY… AND THANK YOU FRIENDS FROM MAJURO FOR COMING HERE TO SHARE THIS SPECIAL DAY AND ADD TO ITS HISTORY.
