‘American warriors have left behind the blessings of home and family to answer their nation’s call,’ the president said.
WASHINGTON—Standing before the rows of white marble headstones at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on May 26, President Donald Trump marked Memorial Day by honoring the sacrifice of fallen service members.
Speaking at the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater, he paid tribute to the soldiers for their heroism, patriotism, devotion, and acts of selflessness “so enormous they defy comprehension.”
“We gather today to honor the incredible service members who rest in glory in this cemetery and burial grounds around the world and in a thousand lonely places known only to God,” he said.
“In every hour of peril and every moment of crisis, American warriors have left behind the blessings of home and family to answer their nation’s call.”
The 157th National Memorial Day ceremony began with the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Trump was accompanied by Vice President JD Vance, who’s a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former U.S. Army National Guard officer who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Each of the service members who have made the supreme sacrifice for our nation has also left an unfillable void and an unbreakable sacrifice,” Trump said, honoring Gold Star families.
“We will never forget our debt to you,” Trump said in his remarks, which lasted nearly 17 minutes.
More than a million men and women have died while serving in the military since the Civil War began in 1861. The Civil War had the highest number of U.S. casualties of any war, with at least 500,000 killed, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
This Memorial Day holds special significance, Trump said, as it marks 250 years since the first American patriots gave their lives for independence.
“We’re going to have a big, big celebration,” he said.
Trump also joked that he was glad to have missed a second term in the 2020 election, saying that it allowed him to be president now to celebrate the 250th anniversary.
“In addition, we have the World Cup and we have the Olympics. Can you imagine? I missed that four years, and now look what I have. I have everything. Amazing, the way things work out. God did that,” Trump said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
By Emel Akan
