[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 12, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1199-E1200]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE LIVES OF TONY deBRUM AND MATTLAN ZACHRAS

                                 ______
                                 

                   HON. AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN

                           of american samoa

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 12, 2017

  Mrs. RADEWAGEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of the remarkable 
lives of the Honorable Anton ``Tony'' deBrum and the Honorable Mattlan 
Zachras, both of whom led exemplary careers of public service in the 
Republic of the Marshall Islands, and both attained high posts of trust 
in their country.
  They were known and respected far beyond their own nation, and are 
remembered with fondness throughout the Pacific Island nations. I am 
proud and privileged to have known them and called them friends, and 
remember with appreciation that they were longstanding friends of my 
home, American Samoa. In particular, my brothers and I have known Tony 
like he was family since childhood when we spent some time living in 
the Marshall Islands.
  Tony deBrum was an effective political leader for decades and a 
historic advocate of the national independence of the Republic of the 
Marshall Islands, and his memory will rightly be cherished in his 
country as a national hero. In his illustrious government career in the 
Marshall Islands, he served as Minister and finally as Climate 
Ambassador, and he also served at different times in both the Cabinet 
and Nitijela (Parliament).
  Likewise, Mattlan Zachras left us recently and far too soon at the 
age of 47. He represented Namdrik Atoll in Nitijela since 2004, worked 
for grassroots community development, and through his role as Minister 
in Assistance to President Hilda Heine was an outspoken leader at 
international climate meetings.

[[Page E1200]]

  I also include in the Record the stirring words of President Heine as 
expressed in the August 25 publication of the Marshall Islands Journal.
  Mr. Speaker, I offer my heartfelt condolences to President Heine and 
the people of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and I ask the 
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in recognizing 
the lifelong dedication exemplified by Tony deBrum and Mattlan Zachras, 
and honor these dedicated men of public service and the many national 
values that our countries share.

       It is with great sadness and a very heavy heart that I 
     announce that the Marshall Islands lost a national hero 
     Tuesday with the passing of our Climate Ambassador and former 
     Minister Tony deBrum.
       Tony passed away peacefully in Majuro, surrounded by his 
     proud father, as well as his wife and partner in life, 
     Rosalie, and their three children, ten grandchildren and five 
     great-grandchildren--including newly born Cei'Ena. My 
     thoughts and prayers, as well as those of the government and 
     the people of the Marshall Islands, are with them.
       Tony's legacy goes beyond our islands, and will go beyond 
     those of us that call the Marshall Islands home. He fought 
     for our independence, he fought against the tyranny of 
     nuclear weapons and for nuclear justice for our people, and 
     he led the international fight against climate change. The 
     very existence of the Paris Agreement owes a lot to Tony 
     deBrum. He was a giant of history, a legend in every meaning 
     of the word, and a custodian of our shared future.
       Born on February 26, 1945 in Tuvalu, Tony grew up in the 
     Marshall Islands during the twelve-year period of US nuclear 
     testing and, as a young boy out fishing with his grandfather, 
     witnessed the horrors of the Bravo Shot, the largest US 
     nuclear test--more than 1,000 times more powerful than 
     Hiroshima. After becoming one of the first Marshallese to 
     attend university, he returned to our island home to play a 
     leading role in the negotiations that secured the Compact of 
     Free Association with the United States, and ultimately our 
     membership in the United Nations. Tony remained consistently 
     and deeply committed to the cause of nuclear justice and 
     global disarmament, and in 2012 was awarded the Nuclear Age 
     Peace Foundation's Distinguished Peace Leader Award. In 2015 
     the Right Livelihood Foundation awarded him the Nuclear-Free 
     Future Award and the `Alternative Nobel'. In 2016 he was 
     voted the Arms Control Person of the Year and nominated for 
     the Nobel Peace Prize.
       Tony found himself fighting for our country once again in 
     the global battle against climate change. Tony's vision was 
     captured in the Majuro Declaration for Climate Leadership in 
     2013, and in 2015 he contributed to the formation of the High 
     Ambition Coalition. His tireless efforts on the world stage 
     were instrumental in securing the Paris Agreement.
       On this day that Tony passed, we also held our final 
     traditional funeral ceremony for Minister Mattlan Zachras who 
     passed away less than two weeks ago. I am certain that Tony 
     will join Mattlan in looking over the Marshall Islands. While 
     our nation may have lost two of our finest men, and the Earth 
     two of its fiercest champions, the best thing we can all do 
     to honor their legacies is to keep up the battle for our 
     future--to which they dedicated their lives. We now carry 
     their torch.
       Tony made our island home and the rest of the world safer 
     and more peaceful. And for that a grateful nation and planet 
     says kommol tata. May he rest in the peace that he fought so 
     hard for.--Hilda Heine, President

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