The Ministry of Defense held a post mortem ceremony in honor of U.S. Marine Sergeant Johanny Rosario, of Dominican descent, who died at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, in a terrorist act during the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
The solemn service was led by Lieutenant General Carlos Luciano Díaz Morfa, ERD, Minister of Defense, who, visibly moved, expressed that in the name of all the members of the Armed Forces and in recognition of the valor of women, he paid this posthumous tribute to the soldier of Dominican descent.
He said that she represents “a lofty expression of the cultural, social and spiritual values that as a historical heritage are part of the identity of Dominican women and of our fellow citizens in general, treasured and shown as distinctive garments of their idiosyncrasy and identity, which endure macerating in time and distance among their descendants”.
With this post mortem ceremony full of symbolism rooted in our best traditions and feelings of solidarity, we join the pain of this family struck by the tragedy, honoring his memory and in it all the Dominicans who excel by setting good examples through work, sports, the military, studies and science, which fills us with healthy pride and highlights the greatness of the country,” he said.
The ceremony began with the playing of the national anthems of the Dominican Republic and the United States, respectively, by the Dominican Republic Army Band. Reverend Deacon Colonel Elías Caamaño, ERD, blessed the ceremony.
A company of female soldiers of the Army, Navy and Air Force of the Dominican Republic, rendered the corresponding military honors in style, while a platoon of the Honor Guard Regiment of the Ministry of Defense fired salute shots to the beat of the military silence.
The event was attended by Mayra Jiménez, Minister of Women; Robert Thomas, Minister Counselor of the US Embassy; Luz del Alba Jiménez, Minister of Youth; Wendy Santos de Díaz, President of ADEOFA;
Also in attendance were Geanilda Vásquez, Minister of State; Major General Julio Ernesto Florian Pérez, Commander General of the Dominican Army; Major General Leonel Amílcar Muñoz, Commander General of the Dominican Air Force;
In addition, Major General Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre, ERD, President of the Retirement Board and Pension Fund of the Armed Forces, and Brigadier General Teresa Martínez Hernández, Deputy Director General of the National Police, as well as members of the General and Joint General Staff of the Armed Forces.
