The UAE residents will observe a one-minute silent prayer on Tuesday to mark Commemoration Day.
An SMS message was sent by the Martyrs’ Families’ Affairs Office asking people to take part in the remembrance at 11:30 am.
The commemoration day was first held in 2015 and is marked each year on November 30. The event acknowledges the achievements of those who dedicated themselves to protecting the Emirates at home and abroad.
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The day of November 30 has been chosen because it was the date Salem Suhail bin Khamis died in 1971 fighting against Iranian forces on the island of Greater Tunb. He is the first Emirati to have been killed in military service after the formation of the UAE that year.
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, established the MFAO to look after the families of martyrs. Earlier in 2016, the Martyrs’ Memorial was established in Abu Dhabi, directly opposite the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
The UAE has also established the Martyrs’ Archives project. It began building a museum to highlight the “heroic” actions of its soldiers and officers. (AW)
