ABU DHABI // A postage stamp honouring the heroes who have fallen for their homeland has been issued to mark the country’s first Commemoration Day.
The stamp and postage card, which have been issued by the Emirates Post Group and the Martyrs’ Families’ Affairs Office, will be available at post offices across the country from tomorrow.
“Emirates Post Group is proud to issue the first postage stamp and postage card carrying the distinctive Commemoration Day logo,” said Ibrahim bin Karam, executive commercial director of the EPG.
“This marks our expression of gratitude and appreciation to the families of the national heroes, who are the sons of the entire UAE society and deserve all the honour for their ultimate sacrifices. On this occasion the stamps will be distributed to all postal areas in the country.”
The Dh3 stamp shows the black silhouette of three soldiers standing against a white background. Two of the soldiers hold rifles, while the one standing in the centre is a flag bearer who appears to be in motion, waving the UAE flag, with its colours striking against the white sky.
Beneath the soldiers, the words “Commemoration Day United Arab Emirates” are written in Arabic and English.
The date November 30, 2015 is noted below the words.
A simplified version of the commemorative stamp’s image of the three soldiers also appears on a Dh10 postcard.
The card also shows a grey silhouette of Abu Dhabi’s skyline in the background with fighter jets and a flock of birds flying overhead. In the foreground, the figures of three more soldiers appear, with one saluting the viewer.
A civilian Emirati stands to the left of the saluting soldier, waving a coloured UAE flag toward the outline of Emirati families, who are shown walking hand-in-hand, pushing a stroller, releasing a balloon and playing with their children.
The stamp “represents the values of respect, appreciation, honour, courage and loyalty, and highlights the pride and glory of the UAE in the sacrifices of the heroes of the nation”, said a spokesman for the Martyrs’ Families’ Affairs Office of the Crown Prince’s Court (MFAO).
As well as the release of the stamps, the MFAO is organising a series of memorial activities to mark Commemoration Day, including a series of services across the country to honour those killed in the Saudi-led Operation Restoring Hope in Yemen and further back in the country’s history.
The MFAO has also announced plans to build a war memorial near the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
The memorial would express the wishes of the President, Sheikh Khalifa, to “immortalise the names of the men who gave up their lives while performing their national duty to keep the UAE flag flying high”, said a MFAO spokesman.
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