EMBASSY NEWSCENTRE

Speech of Major General David Zabecki during the Funeral of Specialist Ebe Firmin Emolo

I appreciate all of you in attendance here today.  To the family, close friends and fellow Soldiers of Specialist Ebe Emolo, I want to express to you my sincere sympathy over his passing, and to offer my most profound “thank you” for his service.  But “thank you” will never be sufficient to express the intense admiration we in the Army have for the selfless service rendered by SPC Emolo. I am truly honored to be with you as we gather this day to remember him.

Specialist Emolo was born in the Ivory Coast and remained proud of his heritage.  Today, we return him to his country with great sadness, and our deepest appreciation for his service to the United States Army.  As a Soldier, SPC Emolo was one of the best – a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, a Paratrooper who was valued and respected by his fellow Paratroopers.  Ebe was recognized by all as an outstanding Soldier, always ready to help out when needed.  

His company commander said of SPC Emolo, “he was one of the most “squared away” Paratroopers that I had the fortune of leading in combat.  He epitomized everything that is Army. His passion for his job was only challenged by his passion for playing soccer.  He was a gifted player who was a pleasure just to watch move across the field.”  

SPC Emolo’s platoon leader remembered when Ebe became a United States Citizen. “He was very proud of his accomplishment and glad to be an American. SPC Emolo was always ready to go on missions and drive any vehicle or complete any task that you handed to him.” 

Other Paratroopers SPC Emolo served with remember him as always vigilant in his duties, one of the most physically fit Soldiers, extremely proud to be in the Army and even prouder of becoming a US citizen.  He was a big brother to others, offering advice about women, spiritual guidance, financial advice or just being a friend.  In the words of his squad leader, “Losing Ebe was the most tragic thing that I have ever had to deal with; I grieve with you and will remember Ebe forever.” 

Commanders want to win wars, and commanders want to bring every Soldier home.  I am well aware that will not always happen.  We come to love our men and women in the ranks as we would our own children.  They become special to us because of the sacrifices we make and the shared hardships under which we so often operate.  The respect is always there….but our common struggles often give rise to a bond between us that lasts throughout our lives, even into eternity….And we will often ask, “why did this happen?”

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln stood on the hallowed ground at Gettysburg and expressed a sense of resolution familiar to anyone who has looked into the void at the ground in New York where the World Trade Center towers used to stand.  “We cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground,” Lincoln said.  “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract.”

The responsibility of those who remain, said Lincoln, is to honor the dead not with their words but with their actions….to be, quote, “dedicated to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”

It is now, as it was then.  We should build monuments.  We should erect memorials.  But our final tribute to this young man must be to fulfill our responsibility to defend the living, as he did.  Our greatest memorial to those who have passed must be to protect the lives and liberties of those yet to come…to carry on the work of this extraordinary young man who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom and our hallowed principles.  God bless Specialist Ebe Emolo, God bless his family, God bless his fellow Soldiers and because of his sacrifice, God bless our nations.