“American warriors leave home and family blessings to answer their country’s calls,” the president said.
WASHINGTON – In front of a row of white marble gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia on May 26, President Donald Trump marked the anniversary by celebrating the sacrifices of his fallen service members.
Speaking at the memorial amphitheater in the cemetery, he paid tribute to the soldiers for their heroism, patriotism, devotion and selflessness.
“We gather today to honor the incredible service members hanging out in glory in this cemetery and burial ground around the world, and to honor a thousand lonely places known only to God,” he said.
“Every hour of danger, and every moment of crisis, American warriors have left home and family blessings to answer their country’s calls.”
The 157th National Anniversary Ceremony began with a ceremony at the Lake of Traditional Wreaths at the Tomb of an Unknown Soldier. Trump was accompanied by Vice President J.D. V. V. V. V. V., a veteran of the US Marine Corps, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses, a former US Army National Soldier who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Each of our service members who made the finest sacrifices for our country left us with endless blanks and unbreakable sacrifices,” Trump said.
Related Stories
“We will never forget the debt to you,” Trump said in his remarks, but it lasted almost 17 minutes.
The anniversary said it holds special importance as it marks 250 years since the first American patriots gave life to independence.
“We’re going to have a big, big celebration,” he said.
Trump also joked that he was happy he missed a second term in the 2020 election.
“And that’s the World Cup, the Olympics. Can you imagine? I missed those four years and now I saw what I have. I have everything. Amazing, things go well. God did it.”
Speaking at the event, Vance said that American leaders should “treat our military life as our most valuable resource.”
“The best way to celebrate falling is to seek it only when the next generation has to absolutely make the ultimate sacrifice,” he said. “We must be careful about sending people to war.”
Before heading to Arlington Cemetery on cloudy Washington Day, Trump wrote a ton of posts on social media platform Truth Social.
He wrote that President Joe Biden has allowed 21 million people to “into our country illegally, many of them are criminals and mentally crazy.”
He also accused people he called “America-hating Judges” of protecting illegal immigrants and undermining national security.
He writes, “They can be taken away, murdered and raped once more, as they have a mission to protect murderers, drug dealers, rapists, and gang members and release prisoners from all over the world of our country.”
Meanwhile, he expressed his hope that the U.S. Supreme Court and “other good and caring judges” across the country will protect the country from harmful decisions.
Trump wrote that he is confident in his progress over the past four months, saying the country is “safe and great soon.”
Fix: Previous versions of this article misunderstood the ordinals of this year’s National Anniversary Ceremony. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
