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A remembrance ceremony to mark the second anniversary of the June 2002 West Sea naval battle that left Lt. Commander Yun Yeong-ha and five other sailors dead was held at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the headquarters of the R.O.K. Navy's 2nd Fleet in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.
The ceremony, which included an opening address and salute to the dead, religious ceremonies, the reading of a message from President Roh Moo-hyun, remembrance address, placing of flowers and the burning of incense, gun salute, silent prayer and a closing address, was conducted in a solemn atmosphere.
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In commemoration of the second anniversary of the West Sea naval battle, memorial services were held at the headquarters of the Navy¡¯s 2nd Fleet in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday. Hwang Eun-tae, father of the late Petty Officer First Class Hwang Do-hyun, weeps while reading a letter in front of his son¡¯s portrait.
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Rear Admiral Seo Yang-won, commander of the 2nd Fleet, extolled the spirits of the dead in his remembrance address, saying, "The six brothers-in-arms may have left us, but their cries to protect the seas of the Fatherland still rings in our ears... The men and officers of the Navy, receiving from those fallen heroes the fighting spirit and willingness to martyr themselves, will do all they can to carry out their mission of protecting the seas of the Fatherland."
First Lt. Lee Hee-hwan of the Korea Naval Academy's Institute of Naval Affairs, who was aboard the South Korean patrol boat that was sunk by the North Koreans in the exchange, said, "Our brothers-in-arms risked death and fought." After recounting the battle, he pledged that despite losing a leg in the exchange, he would run to any battle involving an enemy violating Korea's territorial sea.
Master Sergeant Lee Hae-yeong, who was the bosun of the sunken craft, said he would always carry with him the noble spirit of sacrifice and love for his brothers-in-arms, and would try to live his life twice as hard as those who were killed.
150 people attended the ceremony, including Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Moon Jung-il, the families of those killed in the battle and the sailors who where aboard the sunken patrol boat, previous Chiefs of Naval Operations, the R.O.K. Marine Corps Commander and other naval personnel.
At around 10 a.m. on June 29, 2002, North Korean patrol boats crossed over the Northern Limit Line and preemptively attacked and sunk a South Korean patrol boat. Six South Korean sailors bravely fell in battle on that day.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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