Photo: Alamy
Monday’s Memorial Day Observance at Arlington was a solemn and patriotic reminder of the cost of freedom. President Donald Trump, along with Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, was on hand to pay their respects to those who have laid down their lives in the service of their countrymen.
“From 1776 to 2026, America has always stood as a great and moral cause,” the president said during remarks at the Memorial Amphitheater.
He continued, “Our warriors are no mere mercenaries, they are guardian angels who stride across the battlefields of history and stand watch over the highest and most beautiful planes the human spirit has ever seen—holding the line between liberty and tyranny, between civilization and barbarism, between good and evil. Wherever the American soldier walks, wherever he fights…and wherever he falls, he does it for the destiny of a nation like no other… and for the fate of freedom on this earth.”
The president praised the sacrifice of the American soldier and the honor of their service – a valorous tradition passed down since the founding of this great nation.
“They’ve not just made the ultimate sacrifice, they have offered the ultimate proof that we Americans do indeed love liberty,” the president declared. “We do cherish the self-government given to us by our forefathers. We do believe with all our souls in the mission that God has given to America. And we do intend with all our strength and heart to hold high the torch our heroes handed to us—and we will never, ever let it fall.”
The president also recognized the 13 fallen American servicemembers who recently lost their lives in the war against Iran.
“These incredible men and women gave their lives to ensure that the world’s number one state sponsor of terror will never have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
The president honored veterans like Sergeant First Class Matthew McClintock, a U.S. Army Green Beret who laid down his life in Afghanistan while working to evacuate a wounded soldier. “Matthew fell that day, but the soldier he gave his life to save survived and thrived, and Matthew was awarded the Silver Star,” the president said.
In his remarks, President Trump also paid homage to the souls of those buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
“Scripture tells us, ‘Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.’ 400,000 souls rest on these grounds, these beautiful grounds, in the sacred soil, which was first consecrated in the hour of America’s greatest division to be an eternal symbol of national unity,” he said. “…Here, beneath arching trees and white stones, so beautiful, these many are made one again – united forever as brothers and sisters in arms, and children of our Father in heaven.”
