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9/16/2025 – To commemorate the lives lost during the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and honor the sacrifice of first responders, dozens of community members, frontliners, and dignitaries participated in the Freedom Walk and Field of Heroes ceremony yesterday in Garapan.
CNMI Governor David Apatang and several dignitaries, followed by a JROTC color guard, led the front of the march, which began at the Carolinian Utt and ended at the American Memorial Park’s Court of Honor, where the We Will Not Forget: Field of Heroes ceremony was held.
“We gather on this field of heroes, a garden of flags that we began in 2016 as a simple, powerful idea to create a space where a community can see its protectors, remember their sacrifices, and begin to heal,” said keynote speaker Joshua Wise, chairman of the American Red Cross NMI Chapter.
Wise emphasized resilience as the ceremony’s theme and explained that the flags filling the field of heroes in tribute to brave men and women carry colors: Red for courage, White for pure intention, and Blue for vigilance. “The world felt heavy then. It still can. But year after year, this field has stood as a promise that in the commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, from Saipan to Tinian to Rota, we will show up for one another… That is resilience. Courage, intention, vigilance, that's woven into our daily lives.”
He reflected on both 9/11 and the Marianas’ own hardships. “Many of us remember nights when the wind did not sleep and the sea would not rest… We remember that resilience is not just bouncing back, but it's bouncing forward together. And tonight, as we say, we will not forget. We also look back to September 11, 2001, a day of blue skies and unthinkable loss that reshaped our understanding of heroism.”
Wise also shared stories of the 13 Red Cross volunteers from the Marianas who deployed to New York after 9/11, noting their courage despite fear and uncertainty. “...they went anyway. They recalled talking with families of those who lost their lives. Families who weren't there because they needed supplies, but because they needed someone to talk to. And they persevered anyway. So I'd like to give a shout-out to our amazing Red Cross volunteers who didn't just walk away from danger, they flew to New York, all the way from the Marianas.”
He also acknowledged the toll on first responders and the importance of openly addressing mental health. “It takes courage to run into a burning building. It also takes courage to sit with a counselor, a peer, a friend, and say, I'm not okay, but I want to be.”
He reminded first responders: “In a few moments, we'll leave this field, return to our work, our homes, our lives. The flags will remain moving gently in the evening wind. When they do, let them remind us that our resilience is not only out there, on the line, in the ward, on the road, but it's in here. In the way we treat one another, in the way we remember, reach out and renew. And so, under the red of courage, the white of pure intention, and the blue of vigilance, under the memory of 9/11 and the promise of communities that care, let us make this promise together. We will never forget. We will never forget what you've done, what you carry, and who you are. And when these flags are lowered, may what they stand for remain standing in us. Thank you, and God bless our heroes, their families, and our islands.”
In his remarks, CNMI Governor David Apatang reminded the crowd not only to commemorate the lives lost during 9/11 but also to remain vigilant and prayerful. “We continue to remember and pray for our brothers and sisters and their surviving families who left us too soon after the ruthless and cowardly attacks by those who do not have the respect for mankind…Let us continue to hold on to the hands that we have been holding for 24 years. The symbol of our unity, our strength, and our solemn honor for those who perished in the September 11 attacks in our nation's capital. Our fellow Americans and all our nation's allies that stood strong beside us.”
“This evening we remember and pray, and this evening is a reminder that we must continue to pray and stay vigilant.”
Apatang thanked the sponsors of the event, and to the first responders he said: “Thank you, Si Yu’us Ma’ase and Ghillisow, to all those frontline emergency responders, all our military personnel, for your bravery, courage, and resolve during our most darkest time in our nation's history. Thank you, Si Yu’us Ma’ase and Ghillisow, we will never forget.”
The ceremony concluded with the placing of a wreath at the Court of Honor, a moment of silence, and a 21-gun salute.
In a conversation with Catherine Toves-Attao, vice president of community relations at Tan Holdings—the event’s main sponsor—she said the milestone 10th annual commemoration is about keeping memory alive. “9/11 happened 24 years ago and the new generation now would never be able to understand the aftermath of how a nation pulled together. And I think our American Red Cross guest speaker said it perfect. It's all about resilience.”
Attao added that for the Marianas, resilience has been put into practice constantly and can be seen in weathering repeated typhoons and supporting their own first responders. “It's moments like this that I hope this event can continue to carry forward—being able to express the gratitude that we have for our first responders and all our community heroes for the daily sacrifice that they do.”
As a first responder, Fire Lieutenant Edward Dela Cruz Jr. of the Commonwealth Ports Authority’s Aircraft Rescue Fire Department said he was touched by the turnout. He told Marianas Press, post-ceremony: “It is very beautiful to see that people recognize the sacrifices these families made, those that made the sacrifice and also the community that was affected by it. And to this day, 24 years later, we’re still going strong, that we will never forget and we always remember. And thats the thing that stuck out to me, is that Saipan is a community first and family first and it was really shown today.”
Report by Chrystal Marino
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