Go to:    Victor Marshal, 28, is a soldier in the first battalion of the East Timor Defense Force. "I am very excited about independence and proud to be serving in my country’s defense force because I am a son of East Timor. Before 1999 I was a member of the Falintil resistance movement -- it was a very hard time. Now I think East Timorese will live together peacefully. I don’t know what the future holds but I am very proud to be serving our new country."