President Trump honors fallen heroes on Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery
Shreeaa Rathi | TIMESOFINDIA.COM | May 27, 2025, 22:26 IST
( Image credit : AP, TOIGLOBAL )
On the solemn occasion of Memorial Day 2025, former President Donald J. Trump gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to honor the brave souls who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Accompanied by Vice President JD Vance and distinguished officials, he reflected on the profound sacrifices of these heroes.
On Memorial Day, May 26, 2025, President Donald J. Trump honored fallen American heroes at Arlington National Cemetery, joined by Gold Star Families, servicemembers, and administration members, emphasizing their sacrifices for the nation's freedom and the eternal debt owed to them, with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine also delivering remarks on the meaning of Memorial Day and the service of American warriors. The event served as a tribute to those who gave their lives for the country.
President Trump addressed the gathering at Arlington National Cemetery. He spoke about the sacrifices made by American warriors throughout history.
“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. They’ve offered all that they had within them and given their last breaths to each and every one of us — that we might live safe and breathe free.”
Trump highlighted the enduring impact of their sacrifice. He noted that it extends beyond specific battles or past victories.
“The sacrifice that they made was not merely for a single battle, a long-ago victory, or a fleeting triumph decades or centuries past. Their sacrifice was for today, tomorrow, and every morning thereafter.”
He emphasized the eternal debt owed to those who served. He also spoke about the nation's strength.
“Every child that lives in peace, every home that is filled with joy and love, every day the Republic stands, is only possible because of those who did what had to be done when duty called … Our debt to them is eternal and it does not diminish with time; it only grows and grows and grows with each passing year. The greatest monument to their courage is not carved in marble or cast in bronze — it’s all around us, an American nation 325 million strong, which will soon be greater than it has ever been before.”
Trump connected love to the course of history and freedom. He referenced various battles and locations where Americans have fought.
“Great poets have written that it’s love which moves the sun and the stars. But here on the sacred soil — right where we are — we’re reminded that it’s love which moves the course of history, and moves it always toward freedom. Always.”
He listed historical battles from Bunker Hill to Kabul. He acknowledged the sacrifices made in these conflicts.
“From Bunker Hill to Bastogne to Cantigny to Coral Sea, from Gettysburg to Guadalcanal, and Concord to Kabul, America’s best and America’s bravest have fought, bled, and died so that we could pick up the torch of liberty, raise it high, high, high, and carry it onward.”
He continued to list battles from Trenton and Yorktown to Kandahar. He described the intensity of their sacrifices.
“In every generation since, at Trenton and Yorktown, at Vicksburg and Shiloh, and in faraway places with names like Château-Thierry, Anzio, Iwo Jima, Khe Sanh, Kandahar … They plunged into the crucible of battle, stormed into the fires of hell, charged into the valley of death, and rose into the arms of angels.”
Vice President JD Vance also spoke at the ceremony. He reflected on the sacrifices made by strangers for the benefit of others.
Vice President JD Vance stated, “Consider the sum of all the moments that make a good life, and now appreciate how countless strangers, people most of you never met, they gave up those moments in their own life so that we could enjoy them in ours, and that is what Memorial Day is all about … To them, we owe everything — and today, in the peace they bequeathed to us, we honor them.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth addressed the story of the unknown fallen soldier. He honored the American warrior.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said, “This is the story of the unknown — the story of the fallen soldier who we have gathered today to honor. It is the story of the American warrior. He answered the call, fought, and died for this Republic; the ultimate sacrifice of a free people.”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine spoke about the standard set by the fallen and their families. He charged everyone to carry the torch forward.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine remarked, “It’s in the lives of the fallen and their families that we’re left a standard to live by — a charge for us all to keep, a charge to carry the torch forward with duty, courage, and love of country.”
The Memorial Day event at Arlington National Cemetery served as a tribute. It honored the sacrifices of American heroes.
President Trump addressed the gathering at Arlington National Cemetery. He spoke about the sacrifices made by American warriors throughout history.
“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. They’ve offered all that they had within them and given their last breaths to each and every one of us — that we might live safe and breathe free.”
Trump highlighted the enduring impact of their sacrifice. He noted that it extends beyond specific battles or past victories.
“The sacrifice that they made was not merely for a single battle, a long-ago victory, or a fleeting triumph decades or centuries past. Their sacrifice was for today, tomorrow, and every morning thereafter.”
He emphasized the eternal debt owed to those who served. He also spoke about the nation's strength.
“Every child that lives in peace, every home that is filled with joy and love, every day the Republic stands, is only possible because of those who did what had to be done when duty called … Our debt to them is eternal and it does not diminish with time; it only grows and grows and grows with each passing year. The greatest monument to their courage is not carved in marble or cast in bronze — it’s all around us, an American nation 325 million strong, which will soon be greater than it has ever been before.”
Trump connected love to the course of history and freedom. He referenced various battles and locations where Americans have fought.
“Great poets have written that it’s love which moves the sun and the stars. But here on the sacred soil — right where we are — we’re reminded that it’s love which moves the course of history, and moves it always toward freedom. Always.”
He listed historical battles from Bunker Hill to Kabul. He acknowledged the sacrifices made in these conflicts.
“From Bunker Hill to Bastogne to Cantigny to Coral Sea, from Gettysburg to Guadalcanal, and Concord to Kabul, America’s best and America’s bravest have fought, bled, and died so that we could pick up the torch of liberty, raise it high, high, high, and carry it onward.”
He continued to list battles from Trenton and Yorktown to Kandahar. He described the intensity of their sacrifices.
“In every generation since, at Trenton and Yorktown, at Vicksburg and Shiloh, and in faraway places with names like Château-Thierry, Anzio, Iwo Jima, Khe Sanh, Kandahar … They plunged into the crucible of battle, stormed into the fires of hell, charged into the valley of death, and rose into the arms of angels.”
Vice President JD Vance also spoke at the ceremony. He reflected on the sacrifices made by strangers for the benefit of others.
Vice President JD Vance stated, “Consider the sum of all the moments that make a good life, and now appreciate how countless strangers, people most of you never met, they gave up those moments in their own life so that we could enjoy them in ours, and that is what Memorial Day is all about … To them, we owe everything — and today, in the peace they bequeathed to us, we honor them.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth addressed the story of the unknown fallen soldier. He honored the American warrior.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said, “This is the story of the unknown — the story of the fallen soldier who we have gathered today to honor. It is the story of the American warrior. He answered the call, fought, and died for this Republic; the ultimate sacrifice of a free people.”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine spoke about the standard set by the fallen and their families. He charged everyone to carry the torch forward.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine remarked, “It’s in the lives of the fallen and their families that we’re left a standard to live by — a charge for us all to keep, a charge to carry the torch forward with duty, courage, and love of country.”
The Memorial Day event at Arlington National Cemetery served as a tribute. It honored the sacrifices of American heroes.