Abu Dhabi: On the occasion of Commemoration Day (Martyrs’ Day), President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, pledged to always remember with appreciation and gratitude “our children who sacrificed their lives in the fields of truth and duty, the fields of redemption; in defence of the nation, in preservation of its sovereignty, and in protection of its achievements”.
In a statement issued to Nation Shield, the UAE Armed Forces magazine, Sheikh Khalifa added that these sacrifices are “medals of pride” that will adorn “our chests and those of our children and grandchildren”.
The President also said the nation’s martyrs are like “beacons that illuminate the way, as we create the next 50 years” and renewed his pledge that their children and families will remain a priority and will receive the highest care support from the state.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said that UAE martyrs will remain alive and fresh in the memory of generations to come and in the conscience of the people of UAE.
In a statement to Nation Shield, Sheikh Mohammed made these remarks in observance of UAE Commemoration Day.
The passage of years increases the glory of UAE martyrs because they are timeless symbols of patriotism that adorn our history with glory and pride, said His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
In a statement to Nation Shield, on the occasion of Commemoration Day, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed paid tributes to the nation’s martyrs who “are like the stars that illuminate our present and future with the noblest values and meanings and urge us to give more for the sake of the homeland”.
His Highness Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman, said that on November 30 every year, the UAE commemorates the achievements and sacrifices of its martyrs.
“It is a day when the hearts of the people fill with gratitude and pride for the heroism of the UAE martyrs who sacrificed their lives in defence of their homeland,” Sheikh Humaid said in a statement to Nation Shield.
“The UAE's wise leadership is known for their gratitude to the martyrs' sacrifices, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai; His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces; and Their Highnesses the Supreme Council Members and the Rulers of the Emirates.”
Countries are only built by their citizens, and nations only rise through the sacrifices of their peoples, said His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah.
In a statement given to Nation Shield, on the occasion of Commemoration Day, Sheikh Hamad paid homage to the nation's martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for their nation.
His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mu'alla, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Umm Al Qaiwain, said that the leadership and people of the UAE “will always remember the nation's brave martyrs in tribute for their ultimate sacrifices in defence of its soil, security and stability”.
“Let our martyrs remain at the forefront of the pages of national history, and in our hearts, while we draw from them examples of courage to elevate the dear nation and make sacrifices,” Sheikh Saud in a statement given to the UAE Armed Forces magazine Nation Shield on the occasion of Commemoration Day.
His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, stated that Commemoration Day is a day when everyone celebrates the noble values of patriotism and obligation to the country and remembers the sacrifices of the country’s heroes.
“We salute the families of martyrs who have kept their promises and lost their lives to make the country stronger,” Sheikh Saud said in a statement to ‘Nation Shield.
“Throughout its journey, the UAE has been an example of development and prosperity for its citizens and residents. Today, we commemorate the UAE’s children who have sacrificed their lives to defend their country and keep its flag flying high,” he added.
Below is the statement in full from Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan:
“The 30th of November is a national occasion that upholds the values ??of sacrifice and redemption, and it is a day of pride and glory.
Throughout time, martyrdom has been and will remain the culmination of daring, the summit of sacrifice, the most prestigious of honours, the highest levels of expression of loyalty and belonging to the nation.
We will always remember as people and leadership, with appreciation and gratitude, our children who sacrificed their lives in the fields of the truth and duty, the fields of redemption; in defence of the nation, in preservation of its sovereignty, and in protection of its achievements. They kept the UAE flag flying high as a symbol of strength, pride and resilience.
The blood of our martyrs will adorn our chests with pride, and those of our children and grandchildren, they are the beacons that illuminate the way, as we create the next 50 years.
Their children and their families will forever in be in our debt, the nation pledges to them all appreciation and love, and the state will endorse them with care and support.
My sons and daughters, I invite you on this day to raise our salutations, in appreciation and thanks to the soldiers, officers and leaders of our Armed Forces, and to all the members of our security services, who are stationed in the fields of honour for defending the soil of the homeland, and upholding its banner in fulfilment of its pledges.
Greetings to the sons and daughters of the country, especially those working in the fields of giving and fulfilling their duties in the areas of humanitarian work, health care and security both inside and outside the country.
May God preserve our country’s safety and security, and have mercy on our martyrs.”
Following is the full text of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s statement:
“I salute you all on this blessed day wherein we – inspired by our noble values of loyalty and giving – commemorate our martyrs with faith and patriotism.
We thank Allah Almighty for blessing us with valiant men and women who have lived up to their promises to this nation. We commemorate today their children who responded to their call of duty, fought and died while defending our country, its dignity, sovereignty and independence.
We are gathering today, the leadership and people, to commemorate our martyrs, and we are confident that their achievements will remain indelible in the annals of history. They are present in every achievement, every success, and every victory we are achieving. They are alive in the conscience of every Emirati, driving them to serve our country with loyalty and devotion.
Let them find solace in the fact that they have given the country a deeper meaning in its people’s hearts, as they have shown that the nation is not just a geographical space with borders, but it is rather a way of life, values and a civilisation established by generation after generation, and a legacy that we are keen to preserve and strengthen, as our ancestors did.
Our martyrs showed us the true manifestations of our unity and the depth of our people’s patriotism and loyalty to our country, its leadership and decisions. Our martyrs are our noblest men who came from all over the country to serve our nation and preserve our honoured values. The Armed Forces are our solid fortress and shield. Our loyal men have kept their promises by fighting under the Emirati flag and sacrificed their lives to keep it flying high.
On this day, our martyrs remind us of the bright Emirati model. Our developmental and humanitarian achievements continue to be recognised and appreciated across global development and competitiveness indexes.
Emirati citizens are innovative and excel in the civil and military sectors, successfully keeping pace with the latest global developments, to which they are effectively contributing. They also engage in the space sector and its industries, manage nuclear reactors, use and manufacture modern and advanced weapons, and respond to their call of duty. They will not hesitate to sacrifice their lives for their country.
One of the greatest feats of our martyrs is the fact that they have consolidated the values of patriotism among the Emirati people, reinforcing our unity, cohesion, solidarity and giving while enhancing the nation’s overall performance.
I have seen this spirit among our front liners while countering the coronavirus pandemic, who have performed admirably in containing the crisis, limiting its spread, and reducing its economic and psychological repercussions. They have also achieved global excellence in the areas of testing and tracking, and developing vaccines and treatments.
My nation’s sons and daughters, Yes, Commemoration Day is a national day, but for our Armed Forces officers and soldiers, each day is a commemoration day, for they are the colleagues of our martyrs — their brothers on the battlefield. They stayed longer together in training camps than they did with their families. They cohabitated and trained together. They fought together, faced danger together, and protected each other on battlefield. Some of them died on the battlefield and some of them were injured, but all of them sought victory or martyrdom together.
On your behalf, I congratulate all our courageous Armed Forces recruits; everyone who has served in the military, and all those who have joined the national service. I congratulate them on the medals of pride and glory decorating their chests thanks to our martyrs.
I salute those who established, developed and modernised our Armed Forces: The Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan; my brother President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; my brother His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who led the development of our national military cadres and equipped our army with the best and most advanced weaponry.
My sons and daughters, today will be gone forever, and tomorrow will be a new day, and we shall go to our work and get busy. However, the nation’s memory will never forget our loyal offspring. Our martyrs will always live in our conscience; they will always look upon us whenever our flag flies high, and whenever our national anthem is played, and whenever we celebrate a new achievement.
We shall remember them at Wahat Al Karma, beside the shrine of the Founder of the Union, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as well as in mosques, monuments, squares, streets and schools. The nation’s memory will never forget the martyrs and their epic sacrifices for this nation. The martyrs proved the true worth of Emirati families, who have raised their children on noble values, ethics and patriotism.
May Allah Almighty accept our martyrs in heaven and grant our injured a speedy recovery.
Peace be upon you all.”
Below is the statement in full from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan:
“Commemoration Day enhances the feelings of pride of the most loyal people of the United Arab Emirates, both military and civilians, who have fulfilled what they pledged to God and the homeland. They sacrificed their lives in the field of bravery and honour in the UAE and overseas, thus performing the greatest heroism and sacrifices in history.
Our martyrs carried the UAE in their hearts and minds, and sacrificed their lives for the sake of its pride and sovereignty and the dignity of its people, without hesitation, because to them the UAE was dearer than anything else, even their own lives.
While recalling the great sacrifices of our martyrs on this sacred anniversary, we affirm that the UAE will always remain strong and proud, striding towards progress and leadership, thanks to the love, unity and loyalty of its children, and their trust and support for their leadership, and their willingness to give all they can to defend it.
On this great day, which carries deep connotations, the feelings of Emiratis - old and young — unite, just as their hands cooperate in the fields of national work for the sake of the advancement, progress and leadership of their country. We pray to God to have mercy on our heroic martyrs as we cherish their memory, stand in reverence before their sacrifices that are unparalleled, and express our gratitude to them. We affirm that the nation will never forget what they have provided, and will always follow their example of courage to defend our sovereignty, capabilities, and authentic values and morals that are rooted in the depths of our history and civilisation, and are an extension of the noble principles of our Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed, may God have mercy on his soul.
The passage of years increases the glory of our martyrs because they are timeless symbols of patriotism that adorn our history with glory and pride. Our martyrs are like the stars that illuminate our present and future with the noblest values and meanings and urge us to give more for the sake of the homeland. They always remind us that our country deserves a lot from us because it gave, and continues to give, without limits, and that our precious homeland merits sacrifice with blood and lives. It reminds us that defending our homeland is a sacred duty and an honour that cannot be matched by any other.
The values of sacrifice represented by our martyrs are the values on which strong nations are built, through which they achieve their progress and development and take their distinguished place among other communities. Societies that make sacrifices in defence of their values, principles, dignity and higher interests are the ones that build their present and turn to the future with confidence, and preserve their supreme national interests in a world full of dangers.
Our martyrs are not among us physically, but they now represent timeless values and meanings that never die. As we prepare to enter the next 50 years of our nationhood, we evoke these values and meanings embodied by the martyrs, and draw inspiration from them to determinedly overcome difficulties and challenges. We draw supplies for our journey towards achieving our ambitions and aspirations across various fields.
The true celebration of our martyrs and loyalty to their lives is through dedication to serving the UAE in whose defence they sacrificed their lives, and through sincere work to raise its flag high in all fields.
On this glorious day, I send my salute and appreciation to our valiant Armed Forces, with all their formations and units. They are the symbol of our pride, strength, and protection, who teach their children that nothing is dearer than duty to our nation. The Armed Forces are the fortress of the UAE, the protector of its capabilities, its gains, and its cultural achievements, and the symbol of the unity, cohesion and solidarity of its people. I salute all our security and civil institutions that participate effectively and sincerely in the comprehensive national development system that the UAE is experiencing in various fields.
I salute the families of our loyal martyrs, and I assure them that the UAE, the government and people, will always remain by their side, caring for them and their needs, in return for the great sacrifices made by its children and in appreciation for their most wonderful examples in patriotism and composure. In particular, I greet, on this occasion, the mothers of martyrs who embody the distinguished historical role of strong and courageous Emirati women - the repository of the authentic values of our loyal people.
The heroic martyrs sacrificed their lives in defence of righteousness, justice and peace. The UAE will always work for development and peace in the region and the world, and will be a beacon of regional stability, with its balanced policies and firm stances that open the doors of hope for a better tomorrow for all the people of the region and the world, under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.
May God have mercy on our martyrs, protect the UAE and its people from all evil and harm, and perpetuate the blessing of security, stability and unity on us.
Peace be upon you all.”
-- With inputs from WAM
