NEWS

DIA Salutes Its Fallen Patriots for Memorial Day

May 25, 2012

With Memorial Day weekend approaching, DIA paid tribute to agency employees who died in service to the United States. DIA Director LTG Ronald L. Burgess Jr. presided over a wreath laying ceremony at the Patriots' Memorial in DIA Headquarters May 24.

LTG Burgess, surrounded by both civilian and military DIA workforce members, began, "To those honored today, we owe more than memory. We owe them much more. The sacred debt owed to them can never be repaid by words alone. Words are insufficient."

A total of 21 DIA men and women have lost their lives around the globe in defense of the nation, including seven who perished in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. The stories behind the names on the Patriots' Memorial serve as a monument to the bravery of each, reminding us of the selflessness, dedication and courage they demonstrated when confronted by national challenges of the past, present and future. Quietly the audience listened as LTG Burgess read aloud the years and countries signifying each loss: Jordan 1970, Saigon 1975, Paris 1982, Guatemala 1984, Beirut 1984, Greece 1988, Cairo 1996, Nairobi 1998, Niamey 2000 and Arlington, Va., 2001.

"Facta non verba goes the Latin phrase. 'Deeds, not words,'" said LTG Burgess. "Our deeds, through our work and commitment to our important mission, are how we can begin to repay that debt while also honoring those taken from our ranks and from their families while serving their nation."

Watch the video below to see a portion of the ceremony.

DIA is the nation’s premier all-source military intelligence organization.

It provides the nation’s most authoritative assessments of foreign military intentions and capabilities. The agency’s four core competencies -- human intelligence, all-source analysis, counterintelligence and technical intelligence -- enable military operations while also informing policy-makers at the defense and national levels.

DIA’s mission is unique and no other agency matches its military expertise across such a broad range of intelligence disciplines.