On September 4, the history of the country changed irrevocably.
As dawn broke, people awoke to the news that 45 UAE servicemen had died in Yemen in an attack by Houthi rebels.
It was the greatest single loss of life the country had experienced, but it was a day that would also showcase the UAE people’s strength.
Hundreds attended each of the fallen heroes’ funerals, whether or not they had known the men.
And as the community mourned, the country’s Leaders ensured every UAE citizen who had died defending the country would not be forgotten.
In August, while the country’s soldiers continued fighting in Yemen as part of the Saudi-led Operation Restoring Hope, President Sheikh Khalifa announced the country’s inaugural Commemoration Day.
Every November 30, the country will celebrate the legacy of those Emiratis who have died performing their civil, military and humanitarian duty in the UAE and abroad.
The men’s spirits live on in other ways, too, from the newborn sons they never met, named after their fathers, to the mosques and roads and squares across the country renamed in their honour.
The UAE has shown its resilience, with many sons and brothers of those lost eager to continue the fight to restore peace to the region.
But the fight has been tough, and on December 14, 43-year-old Sultan Al Ketbi died in a Tochka rocket strike on a Red Sea army camp near Taez, taking the death toll since June to around 70.
The names of the fallen will not be forgotten, said Sultan’s cousin, Mohammed bin Hwaiden.
“He was a fine man, a son of Al Dhaid, and now he is the first martyr from our city.
“No one will forget his bravery and sacrifice.”
newsdesk@thenational.ae
Read more on the UAE’s developments in 2015 in:
› Diplomacy: Ties with China and South Korea strengthened
› Aid: Foreign aid exceeds Dh23bn
