US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday hailed the sacrifice of US and Allied forces in the Guadalcanal campaign as he noted the pivotal role the Solomon Islands played in World War II.
Kerry flew to the archipelago’s capital, Honiara, from Sydney, where he and US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel discussed security issues with ally Australia amid the unfolding crisis in Iraq.
Visiting the Guadalcanal American Memorial, he spoke of the importance of the Solomon Islands at the start of the US offensive in the Pacific after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Imperial forces.
“It was the first major encounter in the Pacific and the naval battle that took place involved air and sea engagements, each one more bloody and bitter than the next,” he said.
“Wave after wave, the Japanese forces kept trying to retake the islands to recapture the airfield. The [US] Marines simply refused to back down... their victory marked the beginning of the end of the Japanese efforts to drive Allied forces from these islands,” he said.
Kerry, who visited the “Bloody Ridge” battlefield on Guadalcanal, praised the “stunning bravery” of the Marines who against all odds won the first major offensive for the Allies in the Pacific.
“The Guadalcanal campaign was simply the turning point,” he said. “The bond between our nations remains stronger than ever as it was forged right here beginning on the 7th [of] August in 1942.”
While there was a focus on history, Kerry also spoke of the modern challenges facing the sprawling Pacific island chain, including climate change, the conservation of the oceans and fisheries management.
“We know how much your islands are currently both working on emerging from a period of difficulty as well as confronting major challenges like climate change,” said Kerry, who met Solomon Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo.
Kerry also noted the role the Solomons played in the dramatic rescue of future US president John F. Kennedy.
“Just north of here is where president Kennedy served and was rescued [with] the help of Solomon Islanders,” Kerry said.
A Japanese destroyer sank Kennedy’s patrol boat in 1943, leaving him injured and stranded on a coral atoll with his crewmen.
Kennedy managed to tow a badly burned crewman behind him during the marathon 5km swim from the boat’s wreckage to the atoll, despite having a ruptured spinal disc.
The group was eventually rescued after two Solomon Islanders in a canoe came across them, provided them with food and delivered the message that led to their rescue.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of