Latest news with #ArlingtonCemetery
South China Morning Post
26-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Trump honours fallen soldiers at Arlington, calling them ‘America's best and bravest'
US President Donald Trump honoured fallen service members during a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, calling them 'great, great warriors' who were 'America's best and bravest'. '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.' Trump's speech veered briefly into the political, referring to the republic 'that I am fixing after a long and hard four years.' He said that on this commemorative day, his fixes were not for today to discuss. Before speaking, 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 and saluted during the playing of taps. US Vice-President J.D. Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth joined him. Trump told the story of Senior Chief Petty officer Shannon Kent, killed along with three other Americans by a suicide bomber in 2019 in Syria , leaving behind her husband, three-year-old son and 18-month old son.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump can't resist attack on Biden during Memorial Day speech honoring fallen heroes
President Donald Trump on Monday used what was intended as a solemn address honoring at America's honored dead at the country's most hallowed war grave to deliver a speech replete with gratuitous attacks on his predecessor and self-congratulatory talk about how God had returned him to the White House so he could preside over next year's U.S.-hosted World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Trump, who spoke at the Arlington National Cemetery ampitheater following introductory remarks by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, opened his speech by speaking of the 'incredible service members' who 'rest in glory' at Arlington, at America's overseas military cemeteries across the globe, and in 'one thousand lonely places known only to God.' 'Those young men could never have known what their sacrifice would mean to us, but we certainly know what we owe to them. Their valor gave us the freest, greatest and most noble republic ever to exist on the face of the earth,' Trump said. But the president quickly pivoted to grouse about his predecessor and his immigration policies, telling the crowd he was 'fixing' that 'noble republic' after 'a long and hard four years.' 'That was a hard four years we went through — who would let that happen?' he said. 'People pouring through our borders, unchecked, people doing things that are indescribable.' But Trump, apparently noticing his surroundings, added that such things were 'not for today to discuss' and continued his remarks, eventually going into a recitation of the names and deeds of a few of the Americans buried there at Arlington, soldiers and Marines and sailors who died in Vietnam and Afghanistan and Syria. He described how they'd sacrificed themselves 'on the altar of freedom' and how they'd '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.' '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, every child that lives in peace, every home that is filled with joy and love,' he said. '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.' He spoke of a U.S. Navy 'linguist, translator and cryptologic technician' by the name of Shannon Kent, who was one of the first women to work alongside elite special operations units such as Navy SEAL teams and the Army's Delta Force 'to help them capture and kill terrorists.' 'She was among the first women ever to do it, and she did it better than anyone,' said Trump, who described how Kent, a Senior Chief Petty Officer, had been embedded in Syria with a SEAL team who were 'hunting ISIS terrorists through the streets' when she lost her life at the hands of a suicide bomber, leaving behind a husband and two sons who were in attendance at Arlington on Monday. Turning to them, he told them their mother 'was a hero' whose 'love ... strength and ... spirit' would 'always' be with them. He also told her parents and sister that Senior Chief Kent's name would 'live forever in the chronicles of true American patriots.' 'We should never forget, even for a moment, that freedom is a gift of the highest cost, and peace is one at the most precious price. These extraordinary American heroes and their immense and ultimate sacrifices, they offer only the faintest glimpse at the infinite grace we have received from all who laid down their lives for America over the past 250 years,' he said. But after that poignant moment, Trump returned to congratulating himself. His mention of 'the past 250 years' appeared to remind him of the upcoming semiquincentennial celebration to mark the anniversary of America's declaration of independence from Great Britain in July 1776. 'We're going to have a big, big celebration, as you know, 250 years, in some ways, I'm glad I missed that second term where it was because I wouldn't be your president for that most important of all. In addition, we have the World Cup, and we have the Olympics. Can you imagine? I missed that four years, and now look what I have — I have everything, it's amazing how things work out,' he said. 'God did that — I believe that, too.' 'You know, I got the World Cup and I got the Olympics. The 250 years was not mine. I'd like to take credit, but I got the Olympics, I got the World Cup when I was president. And I said, Boy, it's too bad I won't be president then. And look what happened. I turned out, and we're going to have a great time.' Trump, who never served in any of the U.S. armed services spoke just after he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which holds unidentified remains of three American servicemen, one from the First World War War, one from the Second World War, and one from the Korean War. The president was accompanied by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Major General Trevor Bredenkamp, the commanding general of the Military District of Washington, as he approached the tomb and helped slide the wreath into place. All four rendered hand salutes during the playing of the national anthem, even though Bredenkamp, who was in uniform, was the only one of them required to salute under protocol and tradition dictating that civilians and persons wearing civilian clothing are supposed to place their right hands over their hearts instead. Trump has often erroneously saluted at military ceremonies such as this one, but it is notable that Vance and Hegseth chose to copy him since they are both military veterans who would have been trained not to salute when not in uniform. The president's speech with attacks on Biden came hours after he took to Truth Social for an early morning post in which he railed against his predecessor Joe Biden, branded the Demcorats 'scum' and federal judges 'monsters' in a testy Memorial Day message. In an all-caps, early-morning tirade, the president wished a 'Happy Memorial Day to all' before his message went awry and devolved into an all-out attack against his political opponents. 'Including the scum that spent the last four years trying to destroy our country through warped radical left minds, who allowed 21,000,000 million people to illegally enter our country, many of them being criminals and the mentally insane, through an open border that only an incompetent president would approve,' he wrote. Trump also addressed his clash with the courts and lambasted federal judges who have moved to block his administration 's policies, claiming they are protecting 'murderers, drug dealers, rapists, gang members, and released prisoners from all over the world.' Deriding the judiciary as 'monsters,' Trump said that he remains hopeful that the U.S. Supreme Court and other 'good and compassionate' judges will step in to save America. 'But fear not, we have made great progress over the last 4 months, and America will soon be safe and great again! Again, happy Memorial Day, and god bless America!' he concluded the message, which was deleted twice with spelling and spacing errors before it was finally re-uploaded.
CBS News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Trump to lay wreath at Arlington National Cemetery to mark Memorial Day
President Trump on Monday will visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and deliver remarks at Arlington Cemetery to commemorate Memorial Day. The president will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a somber annual tradition for presidents, and one Mr. Trump participated in during his first term as president. Early Monday, Mr. Trump posted a message on his social media platform Truth Social about Memorial Day, writing in all caps that he wished a "happy Memorial Day to all," including the "scum that spent the last four years trying to destroy our country through warped radical left minds." He went on to target immigration policies and accused "USA-hating judges who suffer from an ideology that is sick, and very dangerous for our country" of protecting criminals. Memorial Day honors those who died in uniform as a result of battle. Since the Revolutionary War, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates more than 650,000 U.S. military personnel have died in battle. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, completed in 1932, to represent the burial site of a soldier from World War I whose remains could not be identified. Unknown remains from later wars were added in 1958 and 1984. Earlier this month, the president proclaimed on Truth Social that the U.S. will designate new holidays to commemorate the end of World War I and World War II in Europe. "All over the World, the Allies are celebrating the Victory we had in World War II. The only Country that doesn't celebrate is the United States of America, and the Victory was only accomplished because of us," Mr. Trump said in that post. "I am hereby declaring a National Holiday in celebration of the Victories of World War I, where the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, and World War II, where the Victory date was May 8, 1945," he wrote. Nov. 11 is already a federal holiday, known as Veterans Day. May, 8, 1945, is generally known as Victory in Europe Day, or V-E Day, since the war in the Pacific lasted until the Japanese surrended, which was announced on August 14, 1945.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Veteran gravestone cleanup ahead of Memorial Day
YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — Giving back to those who served our country and preserving their memory for future generations — that was the goal of a hands-on workshop at the Mount Olivet Cemetery in York County Tuesday afternoon. 'Coming up, we have a Memorial Day celebration,' said Elaine Brinley. 'So, we thought it was a great time to come in and clean up some of the headstones here.' Five hundred veterans are buried at this New Cumberland cemetery — Brinley has cleaned over one hundred of them. Barnes & Noble opening at York County shopping center 'I was part of an employee resource group and my husband's a veteran and of course the cemetery here. It just was a natural fit and then there was a volunteer here doing it one day and I joined her, and she taught me how to do it properly,' she said. Brinley told abc27 News, they use a special cleaning solution for the graves. 'It's a D2 solution, which is a biologic,' she explained. 'It has no bleach, no acid, nothing in it is safe for the environment, but it does a great job on cleaning off mold, mildew, lichens, acid rain.' It is the same solution used on the graves at Arlington Cemetery in Washington D.C. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'A lot of the headstones, you know, have been over the years have just gotten really, really dirty,' she said. 'And I think it's important just to honor the families, honor the veterans who sacrificed so much.' Brinley isn't the only one stepping up to help. 'I've also been a participant in Elaine's grave cleaning workshops and looking forward to tonight,' said Mart Kohr. 'Our soldiers have fought in the rain, and so we're going to honor them rain or shine.' More events like this are held throughout spring and fall, click here for more. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Reuters
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
What we know about the Army anniversary parade on Trump's birthday
May 20 (Reuters) - A long-planned celebration in Washington for the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary will coincide with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday on June 14. Trump will play a major role in the celebrations, which have been altered to include a parade. Here is everything we know so far: The celebrations will take place in and around Washington, D.C., starting during the first week of June, according to a planning document seen by Reuters. On June 14 there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in the morning, followed by a fitness competition and an Army birthday festival on the National Mall in Washington. The festival will include equipment displays and military demonstrations. The day will culminate with a parade through the city and an enlistment and re-enlistment ceremony presided over by Trump and fireworks. The U.S. Army is bringing 6,500 troops into Washington, along with 150 vehicles and 50 aircraft for the celebration. The vehicles are set to be moved to the city on trains, while the helicopters will fly in. Reuters has reported that as many as 25 M1 Abrams tanks will feature in the parade. The twin celebrations will cost the U.S. Army between $25 million and $45 million, U.S. officials have told Reuters. That includes the parade itself as well as the cost of moving equipment and housing and feeding the troops. The cost was several million dollars more than it would have been without a parade, the officials said. The officials' latest estimates exclude costs the city of Washington would have to bear, like trash cleanup or any road repairs for damage from the heavy tanks. Democratic lawmakers have said that Trump is taking over the Army's birthday for himself. "This is Trump. This is all about his ego and making everything 'him', which is, I think, a discredit to the military, the Army," Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said. Representative Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, introduced a bill to prohibit the use of public funds for "displays of military force for personal glorification." Officials have told Reuters that the planning for the Army's 250th birthday celebration started last year - before Trump won the November presidential election. The White House has said the administration was planning a historic celebration for the Army's 250th birthday. The Army was established on June 14, 1775, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence. "As one of the first events of the year-long celebration of our 250th anniversary, this commemorative parade will be a fitting tribute to the service, sacrifice and selflessness of the brave men and women who have worn the uniform," White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley said. Trump has made no secret of his desire to hold military parades in the past. During his first administration, he ordered the Pentagon to look into a display of military might after a 2017 trip to France where he and French President Emmanuel Macron reviewed that country's defense forces marching down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris. Trump ultimately settled for a display of tanks and other armored vehicles during a July Fourth celebration in 2019 in Washington. Critics have called a parade an authoritarian display of power that is wasteful, especially as Trump slashes costs throughout the federal government. Military parades in the United States are generally rare. Such parades in other countries are usually staged to celebrate victories in battle or showcase military might. In 1991, tanks and thousands of troops paraded through Washington to celebrate the ousting of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's army from Kuwait in the Gulf War.
