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A memorial was held in Arlington, Virginia on Memorial Day to honour fallen US troops and commemorate their sacrifice. The ceremony was attended by US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The ceremony was held at Arlington National Cemetery, where more than 400,000 people, many of them soldiers, have been laid to rest.
Trump placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a sombre tradition for US presidents. The president paused after placing the wreath, then stepped back before being joined by Vance and Hegseth in a salute.
The US president then delivered an address where he called US troops “great, great warriors”, and singled out several families and relatives of late soldiers to tell their stories.
“We just revere their incredible legacy,” Trump said. “We salute them in their eternal and everlasting glory. And we continue our relentless pursuit of America’s destiny as we make our nation stronger, prouder, freer and greater than ever before.”
“Their valour,” he said, “gave us the freest, greatest and most noble republic ever to exist on the face of the earth. A republic that I am fixing after a long and hard four years.”
He told the story of Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent, killed along with three other Americans by a suicide bomber in 2019 in Syria, leaving behind her husband, 3-year-old son and 18-month-old son.
The New York native was on her fifth deployment, embedded with a team where she served as a linguist, translator and cryptologic technician working alongside special forces in a mission targeted at hunting down Islamic State group militants.
“She was among the first women ever to do it, and she did it better than anyone,” Trump said, calling out Kent’s family for applause at the ceremony.
It didn’t take long for the address to veer into politics as Trump took the opportunity to criticise his predecessor Joe Biden, adding that his term as president was one filled with errors and failures, which his administration is working on fixing.
“A republic that I am fixing after a long and hard four years. That was a hard four years we went through,” said the US president. “People pouring through our borders unchecked. People doing things that are indescribable and not for today to discuss,” he added.
Though the holiday is one that US presidents usually treat with pure solemnity, Trump began the day with a fiery all-caps social media post on his social media platform, Truth Social, aimed at Biden.
“SCUM THAT SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY.”
Meanwhile, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola also attended the ceremony. In a post on X, Metsola also paid her respects to fallen US soldiers, acknowledging their sacrifice for Europe and expressing her gratitude.
“On Memorial Day, we honour the courage of all the fallen heroes whose sacrifice meant peace and freedom in Europe,” said Metsola “Europe is forever grateful. We remember them. We honour them.”
Additional sources • AP
