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| Air Vice Marshal David Bamfield, Vice Chief of Defence, New Zealand Defense Forces, reads lines from “For the Fallen,” a poem by Laurance Binyon. |
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| The U.S. Marine Honor Guard departs at the conclusion of the 2004 ANZAC ceremony. |
Timed to coincide with the dawn services in Australia and New Zealand, the Honolulu ANZAC ceremony occurs at 11:00 a.m. (local time) on 25 April each year. Attending the April 2004 service in the Punchbowl were representatives of the governments and militaries of Australia and New Zealand; consuls-general from several other nations, including Japan, Korea, and the Philippines; flag officers and other representatives of the U.S. Pacific Command and its service components; officials from the state of Hawaii and local government; and veterans organizations from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The ceremony was open to the public and drew several hundred people.
The MARFORPAC band played renditions of “Advance Australia Fair,” “God Defend New Zealand,” and “The Star Spangled Banner.” Said U.S. Marine GySgt. Rich Bean, the MARFORPAC Band Master, “Our participation in this ceremony illustrates the steadfast commitment the United States Marine Corps has to its friends and allies in Australia and New Zealand.”
Two color guards presented the flags of Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., and the Marine Corps. A platoon of 42 Marines served as the ceremonial Honor Guard.
Marine wreath bearers assisted representatives of the participating governments and militaries in laying more than 35 wreaths honoring “The Fallen.” This solemn procession was the highlight of the ceremony.
At the conclusion of the wreath laying, a bugler, located high above the ceremony on top of the Courts of the Missing, played “Last Post,” and the 12th Marine Regiment executed a 21-gun salute, firing 75mm pack howitzers. Directed away from the ceremony site at the far end of the Punchbowl, the rounds echoed throughout the cemetery reminding all of the solemnity of the occasion.
The bugler then played “Reveille” after which the MARFORPAC chaplain delivered the benediction, and the Ceremonial Guard marched off to the strains of “Waltzing Matilda,” bringing the ANZAC ceremony to a close for another year.
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