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Memorial Day to be celebrated this year in quiet remembrance

reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga has declared Monday, May 25th as a government holiday, for Memorial Day — which is also a federal holiday.

“The essence of Memorial Day is to remember and to memorialize the heroic, gallant, courageous, valiant, and selfless acts of our men and women in uniform who made the ultimate offer of sacrificing their lives so we can continue to live under the environment of freedom,” is the beginning of the statement the governor’s office released in honor of Memorial Day.

In past years, the ASG has held a special Memorial Day ceremony at the Veterans Affairs Center in Tafuna, or the Satala Cemetery, followed by the laying of wreaths in the ocean. But with the coronavirus emergency declaration, all public events are prohibited this year.

However, there will still be family members and others who plan to use the long weekend to clean up and decorate graves of their loved ones, including those who died from world conflicts, while serving in the US Armed Forces.

Besides the local and federal governments, a majority of businesses in the territory will be closed on Monday, including StarKist Samoa, whose corporate spokesperson, Michelle Faist said the normal production at the cannery will resume on Tuesday, May 26th.

“We wish everyone a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend,” she said via email on Wednesday.

The two local banks will be open half day tomorrow, as local qualified tax payers will get stimulus checks and tax refund checks in the mail.

In honor of Memorial Day, Samoa News will not publish on Monday but will return on Tuesday. Have a safe 3-day weekend, and may the Lord guide us all in His footsteps.