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President Barack Obama speaks during an event of Department of Defense personnel announcements at the Rose Garden of the White House on May 30. Obama later went to Arlington Cemetery to pay tribute to America's fallen soldiers. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
At Arlington Cemetery, President Barack Obama paid a Memorial Day tribute on Monday to generations of American soldiers who have died while defending the nation’s freedom.
Participating in the annual Memorial Day service at Arlington National Cemetery, Obama laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
“To those of you who mourn the loss of a loved one today, my heart breaks, goes out to you,” Obama said at the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater. “I love my daughters more than anything in the world, and I cannot imagine losing them. I can’t imagine losing a sister or brother or parent at war. The grief so many of you carry in your hearts is a grief I cannot fully know.”
Obama said even though the nation can never fully repay the debt it owes to its fallen soldiers, “but we can honor their sacrifices—and we must.”
“That’s what we memorialize today. That spirit that says, send me, no matter the mission. Send me, no matter the risk. Send me, no matter how great the sacrifice I am called to make.”
Following the service, Obama stopped at Arlington’s Section 60, where soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq are buried. Obama and first lady Michelle Obama met with families of those buried there.
Obama told the “Gold Star” family members “this day is about you, and the fallen heroes that you loved.”
“And it’s a day that has meaning for all Americans, including me,” Obama said.
Obama was also accompanied by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Earlier at the White House, the president picked Army General Martin Dempsey to replace Mullen once he retires on Sept. 30.
Gates, who will retire on June 30 after more than four years of service, will be replaced by CIA Director Leon Panetta.“As I come to the end of my time in this post, I know this will be my final opportunity to stand and speak in this hallowed place and pay tribute to the fallen,” Gates said. “It is up to us to be worthy of their sacrifice—in the decisions we make, the priorities we set, the support we provide to troops, veterans, and their families.”
