Ambassador

Ambassador's Speeches

Ambassador Hooks’ Remarks for Funeral of Specialist Ebe Firmin Emolo

Sa Majesté Nanan Boa Kouassi III, Roi de l’Indenié et la famille royale
Général Major Zabecki, représentant du Chef d’Etat Major de l’armée des Etats-Unis
Monsieur le Ministre de la Défense
Messieurs les Officiers Supérieurs des FANCI
Honorables chefs traditionnels
Mesdames et Messieurs les diplomates
Mesdames et Messieurs,
Chères populations d’Abengourou

How I wish I were here in Abengourou today for a happier purpose.  The warm and generous welcome that has been extended to me and my American colleagues by the gracious citizens of this town will long be remembered and appreciated by us.  From my heart and on their behalf, I thank you.

To the family and many friends of Army Specialist Ebe Firmin Emolo who are gathered here today, I offer you our sincerest sympathy and heart-felt condolences for his death and your loss -- for all the love, smiles, messages and memories he will no longer be able to share with you from his new home in America. 

It is my sad and solemn duty today to represent the President of the United States and Commander-in-Chief of the American Armed Forces at this dignified ceremony of remembrance and farewell.  I am privileged to be here in that capacity, and it is with deep respect and humility that I honor Army Specialist Ebe Firmin Emolo.  From all I have been told and heard, he was a fine young man with a bright future ahead of him, and his untimely death leaves us all bereft. The American Army has lost a brave and valiant soldier, the United States a concerned, caring and committed citizen. We are the poorer for it.

There’s not the slightest doubt in my heart but that he loved his adopted country, for when it mattered the most, he stepped forward proudly in answer to the call sent forth for volunteers in America’s war against global terrorism.  As an American, I can never forget that we are free and live in liberty because patriots like Army Specialist Ebe Firmin Emolo are willing to serve and -- if need be -- to shed their blood and give their lives in the defense of our country.  The United States has always been and remains a beacon of hope and freedom for the entire world because of heroes such as Specialist Emolo -- who answered the call of duty with valor and commitment, setting a standard of courage and idealism that must inspire us all.

I would like to end my eulogy by reading some excerpts from the Presidential Memorial Day 2007 Proclamation released just last month.  Memorial Day is our national day of remembrance, when we honor all the American military service men and women who have given their lives in the defense of their country and its freedoms.  This is what the President Bush said; this is what George W. Bush wrote:

 “Today we honor the warriors who fought our nation's enemies, defended the cause of liberty, and gave their lives in the cause of freedom. We offer our love and our heartfelt compassion to the families who mourn them.

The greatest memorial to our fallen troops cannot be found in the words we say or the places we gather. The more lasting tribute is all around us -- a country where citizens have the right to worship as they want, to march for what they believe, and to say what they think. These freedoms came at great costs -- and they will survive only as long as there are those willing to step forward to defend them against determined enemies.”

U.S. Army Specialist Ebe Firmin Emolo was such a man, and we are the better for it.  God bless and comfort his family and friends in this hard and sad time of farewell.

God bless Ebe Firmin Emolo’s two countries – the Cote d’Ivoire and the United States of America.