Taiwanese and US officials earlier this month jointly presided over an unveiling ceremony in the US for a monument at Texas’ Fort Bliss National Cemetery commemorating 52 Republic of China (ROC) Air Force pilots who lost their lives on US soil while training there during World War II.
Veterans Affairs Council (VAC) Deputy Minister Chen Chin-kuang (陳進廣) and Managing Director Ingrid Larson unveiled the monument on Sept. 3, with US Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration former secretary Randy Reeves in attendance.
“The pilots who lie buried here came here under a program that marked the beginning of a military friendship between the Republic of China and the US, one that lasted through the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Cold War and persists today. We have always stood with the US, and we stand with the US now against authoritarianism’s attempts to spread into the Indo-Pacific, Chen said.
Photo courtesy of Jung Kuang Biweekly
As a responsible member of the international community, the ROC is dedicated to upholding regional peace and stability, and we look forward to expanding our collaborations with the global pan-democratic camp, and jointly safeguarding democracy and liberty, Chen said.
Larson said she was honored to represent the US at the unveiling ceremony, and the joint unveiling signified the long-standing friendship and partnership between the two, adding that the rock-solid and increasingly frequent interactions formed a crucial foundation on which regional safety and peace can be built.
Taiwan is a leading actor on multiple vital issues, such as climate change, medicine, women’s rights, and high-tech research and development, and its active participation in international affairs has made the world a better place, Larson said.
Photo: Screen grab from Jung Kuang Biweekly’s Facebook page
The US would continue to support the ROC, Taiwan, and help strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities.
“Lastly, on behalf of the American people, I wish to offer my most sincere respects to these 52 martyrs,” she said.
The event coincided with Taiwan’s Armed Forces Day on Sept. 3.
Following the monument’s unveiling, attending individuals offered flowers and the ceremony concluded with the playing of “Taps.”
The monument established to commemorate the 52 pilots is identical to the tombstones of those buried at Fort Bliss National Cemetery so that people can pay their respects to the ROC pilots who died due to weather or mechanical failures while training overseas to fight for and defend their country, the VAC said.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS