LIVE: Arlington National Cemetery Holds 2024 Memorial Day Ceremony 2024-05-27 15:23

The wreath ceremony is now complete. The Memorial Day observance will begin momentarily. Please move to your seats. Please be seated. Distinguished guests, please stand for the arrival of the official party and remain standing for the invocation and National Anthem. Distinguished guests, the President of the United States accompanied by the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Distinguished guests, Chaplain Colonel Timothy Miracle Chaplain, Joint Task Force National Capital Region and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington. Please help me pray in your tradition as I pray in mine. God, we pause today to observe a day of national reflection. On this solemn day, we gather to remember and honor those who made an ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. As we stand here at Arlington National Cemetery, we reflect on the history and the significance of this amazing day. Thank you for providing service members that have answered the call of service and some have given their very lives and are now buried here and around the world at national cemeteries. It was here on May 30, 1868 that the first original decoration day, now Memorial Day, was observed. This day was a national remembrance to honor fallen service members that fought in all conflicts like San Juan Hill, trenches of France, the Argonne Forest, Anzio, Rome, the beaches of Normandy, Guam, Okinawa, Korea, Kaeson, Saigon, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, to name a few. We stand here among these hollow grounds to pay tribute to those who gave their very lives for their freedom. Let us remember their sacrifice, their courage, unwavering commitment to our great nation. Let us remember the families that they left behind and the country that they protected with their very lives. May we find solace in the knowledge of the memories of those that live on, not only in the marble markers that dot around many landscapes, but also in the hearts of all Americans. May we never forget the sacrifices of all those who gave their lives for the cause of freedom. In the name of honor, duty, and sacrifice, for God and country, amen. Please remain standing for the United States Coast Guard Band and the Air Force Singing Sergeants Chorus in singing of our National Anthem. Please be seated. Distinguished guests, General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. There are words engraved in the marble ash above me. Words spoken by President Abraham Lincoln to his Gettyburg Address. We here are highly resolved that these dead shall not have died in vain. We are here today to honor our fallen for their ultimate sacrifice and pay tribute to their families. And to reaffirm our commitment to ensure they did not die in vain. Mr. President, Madam Vice President, Second Gentleman Inhofe, and Secretary Austin, fellow Joint Chiefs of Staff, spouses, distinguished guests, veterans, fellow Americans, and most importantly, our Gold Star families. Welcome to you all. We gather here on Memorial Day to honor those who were wearing the uniform when they gave their lives for our nation and its ideals. So that we can spend each day doing what we love, the ultimate measure of freedom. Thanks to our fallen, our nation lives on. Thanks to our fallen, their unwavering commitment, their dedication and sacrifice. Thanks to our fallen, the bedrock of liberty we are privileged to share remains unshaken. We stand here in Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for over 400,000 of our fallen. Every stone marker represents someone who wore the uniform, who answered the call of duty, who when the nation asked, who will go for us, they responded, send me. Over one million of our service members fought in Paris to defend our country and its people. When snow fell over the Delaware River, when north and south turned against one another, when bombs dropped from the sky over Pearl Harbor and machine gun fire straight through the beaches of Normandy and Iwo Jima, when the Chosin Valley froze over and when terrorists breached our skies, our service members said, send me. Our nation is forever grateful to those who gave their lives and to their families who feel the pain of their loss every day. All their birthdays uncelebrated, wedding anniversaries and family milestones unobserved, baseball and soccer games, recitals and concerts missed. Each of our service members who raised their right hand and took an oath to defend our ideals had a family be sacrificed alongside them. Mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters who feel their sacrifice every single day, their loss heavy, their grief unyielding, their love enduring. It is up to us to support the families left behind, to provide comfort and solace in their time of need, and to celebrate the life and contributions of their loved one. It is up to us to further the cause for which our fallen died, to uphold the freedoms for which they fought. On a cloudy Wednesday day in July of 1863, President Lincoln stood among death and devastation and delivered a call to duty. We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. He continued, it is up for us, the living, to be here dedicated to the great task we may be forced. That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to the cause for which they gave their last full measure of devotion. Thank you for being here this Memorial Day to those we lost in service to our nation. May God bless our fallen, may God bless their families, and may God continue to bless the United States of America. Thank you. Distinguished guests, the United States Coast Guard Band in the Singing Sergeants Chorus will perform American Anthem. We turn and truly receive a bunch of valiant soldiers, Those who think they are champions. Here in their hearts there is no hero. Hearts of dignity, their hearts made proud. The soul of a nation that never dies. Now then, say of me, what do you see? Let me know in my heart, I'm true. America, America. Distinguished guests, the Honorable Lloyd J. Austin III. Mr. President, Madam Vice President and Mr. Emhoff, General Brown and Mrs. Brown, I am honored to be here with you. Distinguished guests, service members, my fellow veterans, ladies and gentlemen, Thanks for letting us share this Memorial Day with you. To our Gold Star family members and to everyone mourning a fallen American hero today, Please know that we bow our heads in sorrow along with you. We know that you live with loss every day and not just Memorial Day. I had the privilege of serving in the United States Army for more than four decades. And every Memorial Day I remember those who gave all in the defense of our country, Including the battle buddies who served and fought alongside me. We got through. They didn't. And that pain will never go away. I could tell their stories for hour after hour. But for today, I hope that the story of one fallen American hero may stand for so many more. So on this Memorial Day, my thoughts are with the family of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Stephen Booker of Apollo, Pennsylvania. Staff Sergeant Booker was a tank commander in the 3rd Infantry Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. His company commander once said that Sergeant Booker looked, acted, and sounded like the Abrams tank that he commanded. He embodied the power and the pride of the United States Army. During the race towards Baghdad, Sergeant Booker's unit came under fire. He rushed to protect his teammates and his platoon's flank. In the heat of the fight, he even fired back with his own personal weapon. Lying exposed on top of his tank turret for mile after mile. Staff Sergeant Booker was one of the first Americans killed in the Iraq War. And I know firsthand how tough the fighting was that day. It's only fitting that the Army has named its newest armored combat vehicle the M-10 Booker. That name honors both Staff Sergeant Booker and Private Robert Booker of Nebraska. Who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his stunning battlefield heroism in Tunisia in 1943 during World War II. America's security depends on the bravery of people like Staff Sergeant Booker and Private Booker. And on the courage and character of our service members. And it depends on the stamina and strength of their families and loved ones. We know how much our troops and their families do every day in so many unsung ways. And we know the dangers. Defending our republic carries risk. And that goes beyond the dangers of combat. By necessity, U.S. military training is hard and challenging. Our operations worldwide can put our troops in harm's way. And we still lose too many of our service members and veterans to suicide. So our troops and their families don't just sacrifice during wartime. Our military families know the long deployments and the painful absences. They know the pride that never fades and the worry that never leaves. So to our Blue Star and Gold Star families, you make our national defense possible. Our arms and technology are the envy of the world. But in the end, America's greatest strategic asset will always be our people. So let us always remember our fallen heroes. Let us always strive to defend the democracy for which they fought and died. They did their duty, and we must too. Ladies and gentlemen, our commander in chief has always stood up for our troops, our military families, and our veterans. It is my honor to introduce the President of the United States. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please be seated. One hundred and sixty years ago this month, in the midst of the Civil War, the first American soldier was laid to rest at these hallowed grounds. Private William Christman, a farm worker from Pennsylvania, had enlisted just seven weeks before. There was no formal ceremony to consecrate this new sanctuary. No fanfare. He came at a turning point in the war. As fighting shifted east, the casualties quickly mounted in a bloody, grinding campaign. Over the next year, William would be joined in death, as he was in life, by his brother-in-arms in his final resting place. These hills around us would be transformed from a former slave plantation into a national shine for those American heroes who died for freedom, who died for us. My fellow Americans, Jill, Vice President Harris, the second gentleman, Emhoff, Secretary Austin, General Brown, most importantly the veterans, and service members, families, and survivors, we gather at this sacred place at this solemn moment to remember, to honor, honor the sacrifice of the hundreds of thousands of women and men who have given their lives for this nation, each one literally a link in a chain of honor stretching back to our founding days, each one bound by common commitment, not to a place, not to a person, not to a president, but to an idea, unlike any idea in human history, the idea of the United States of America. Today, we bear witness to the price they paid. Every white stone across these hills, and every military cemetery and churchyard across America, a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, a sister, a spouse, a neighbor, and America, to everyone who has lost and loved someone in the service of our country, to everyone who a loved one is still missing or unaccounted for. I know how hard it can be. It can reopen that black hole in the middle of your chest, bring you back to the exact moment you got that phone call, heard that knock on the door, or held the hand when the last breath was taken. I know it hurts. The hurt is still real, still raw. This week marks nine years since I lost my son, Beau. Our losses are not the same. He didn't perish in the battlefield. He was a cancer victim from a consequence of being in the Army in Iraq for a year next to a burn pit. Major of the U.S. Army National Guard, living and working like too many besides that toxic burn pit. And as it is for so many of you, the pain of his loss is with me every day as it is with you. Still sharp, still clear. But so is the pride I feel in this service, as if I can still hear him saying, It's my duty, Dad. It's my duty. Duty. That was the code of my son lived by and the creed all of you live by. The creed that generations of service members have followed in the battle on the grounds around us by fallen heroes from every major conflict in history. To defend our independence, to preserve our union, to defeat fascism. Built powerful alliances, forged the fires of two world wars. Members of the Greatest Generation, who 80 years ago next week took to the beaches of Normandy and liberated a continent and literally saved the world. Others who stood against communism in Korea and Vietnam. And not far from here, in Section 60, a thousand, 7,054 women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan and Iraq. Who signed up to defeat terrorists, protect our homeland after 9-11. Decade after decade, tour after tour, these warriors fought for our freedom and the freedom of others. Because freedom has never been guaranteed. Every generation has to earn it, fight for it, defend it in battle between autocracy and democracy. Between the greed of a few and the rights of many. It matters. Our democracy is more than just a system of government. It's the very soul of America. It's how we've been able to constantly adapt through the centuries. It's why we've always emerged from every challenge stronger than we went in. And it's how we come together as one nation, united. And just as our fallen heroes have kept the ultimate faith with our country and our democracy, we must keep faith with them. I've long said we have many obligations as a nation, but we only have one truly sacred obligation. Prepare those we send to the battle and prepare to take care of them and their families when they come home and when they don't. Since I took office, I've signed over 30 bipartisan laws supporting servicemen, veterans, and their families and caregivers and survivors. Last year, the VA delivered more benefits and processed more claims than ever in our history. And the PACT Act, which I was proud to have signed, has already guaranteed one million claims helping veterans expose the toxic materials during their service. One million. For too long, after fighting for our nation, these veterans had to fight to get the right health care, to get the benefits they had earned. Not anymore. Our nation came together to ensure the burden is no longer on them to prove their illness was service-related, whether it was Agent Orange or toxic waste. To ensure they protected them, they just have to protect the United States because it is assumed that their death was a consequence of the exposure. On this day, we came together again to reflect, to remember, but above all, to recommit to the future they fought for, a future grounded in freedom, democracy, opportunity, and equality, not just for some but for all. America is the only country in the world founded on an idea, an idea that all people are created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout their lives. We've never fully lived up to that, but we've never, ever, ever walked away from it. Every generation, our fallen heroes have brought us closer. Today, we're not just fortunate heirs of their legacy. We have a responsibility to be the keepers of their mission, that truest memorial of their lives, the actions we take every day to ensure that our democracy endures, the very idea of America endures. Ladies and gentlemen, 160 years ago, the first American soldier was laid to rest on these hallowed grounds. There were no big ceremonies, no big speeches, no family members to mourn their loss, just a quiet grief of the rolling green hills surrounding them. Today, we join that grief with gratitude, gratitude to our fallen heroes, gratitude to the families left behind, and gratitude to the brave souls who continue to uphold the flame of liberty all across our country and around the world. Because of them, all of them, that we stand here today. We will never forget that. We will never, ever, ever stop working to make a more perfect union, which they lived and which they died for. That was their promise. That's our promise, our promise today to them. That's our promise always. God bless the fallen. May God bless their families. And may God protect our troops. Thank you. Distinguished guests, please stand for the playing of taps and the benediction. And now receive the benediction. Almighty God, as we prepare to conclude this solemn gathering, we lift our hearts in gratitude and reverence. We stand on the shoulders of heroes, men and women, who gave their lives in service to our great nation. We thank you for their sacrifice, their unwavering commitment to duty, honor, and freedom. May their memory inspire us to live lives worthy of legacy, guide our leaders, those in each branch of government, guide our leaders in Department of Defense as they bear the weight, grant them all wisdom, courage, and discernment as they leave this great nation. May we never, ever forget the passage in John 15, greater love has no one than this that he laid down his life for his friends. May we never forget the fallen, nor take for granted the liberties they secured for us. Help us to be good stewards of the freedom they purchased with their very blood. And now as we depart from this sacred place, may your peace always be upon us. May we carry the torch of remembrance, ensuring their sacrifices etch forever in our collective memory. May this benediction serve as a reminder of the sacrifices made by those who rest in honored glory. It's in your holy name we pray that you continue to bless all those who have served and all those that they left behind. May God continue to bless the United States of America. Amen. Please remain standing for the singing of God Bless America, performed by the United States Coast Guard Band and the Singing Sergeants Chorus. Distinguished guests, please remain in place as the official party departs and the colors are retired. Distinguished guests, thank you for attending today's program. Thank you.