President Donald Trump laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery to mark Memorial Day and honored America’s fallen soldiers in remarks afterward.
Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stood with the President during the ceremony. The Star Spangled Banner and Taps preceded and followed the President’s laying of the wreath.
Trump, Vance, Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane, then delivered remarks in the amphitheater.
Trump said, “With reverent hearts we honor those who fell that our Republic may stand, those who died that our Nation may live, those who left their sacred light on this earth so that the sublime light of American freedom may shine forever.”
He said, “On this Memorial Day we salute them, honor them and thank them for all we have and all they gave. They gave everything. May God bless our fallen heroes.”
Trump pledged to Gold Star families that their loved ones who died for the United States will never be forgotten.
Vance spoke about his debt of sacrifice to Americans and the enormous sacrifices those soldiers made for the country:
Today is a day for those veterans who wore the uniform, those who went overseas and those who never came home. When I think of the debts we owe, I think of all the things they have given that cannot be measured in dollars or the things of this world, but are measured in things like weddings they never got to attend, children they never saw grow up, daughters and sons they never got a chance to hug and kiss, loved ones, husbands and wives. They traded everything from the moment they gave up their lives to the moment where they would finally meet their natural end, each of those moments they sacrificed so that the United States of America could remain the freest and best country in the entire world. What a wonderful thing. What a wonderful gift.
In his remarks, Hegseth emphasized that the price for the United States and its freedoms was paid for with “American blood.”
He said, “On this sacred day, we must remember that our republic was built and bought with American blood. So pause today and consider the difference these warriors made for our country. Share it with your children and grandchildren. We must.”
He said, “Ordinary men can become our heroes when called upon. They fought not because they hate what is in front of them, but because they love what is behind them.”
Addressing Gold Star families who lost a loved one in combat, Cain promised that their family member would never be forgotten.
“For the Gold Star families here today and those watching across this great nation, we know that for you, Memorial Day is not a date on the calendar, it is literally every single day,” he said.
He said, “You bear a burden that most of us cannot understand, but you do so with a grace and resilience that inspires an entire nation. We cannot replace what you have lost, but we can promise you this: the names of your loved ones will never be forgotten.”
Kane said their names are “woven into the fabric of our nation’s story.”
