thank you very much everyone thank you very much what an honor
secretary mattis and I love you too general Dunford Joint Chiefs members of
the Armed Forces members of the cabinet members of Congress and distinguished
guests thank you for joining us on this solemn Day of Remembrance we are
gathered here on the sacred soil of Arlington National Cemetery to honor the
lives and deeds of America's greatest heroes the men and women who laid down
their lives for our freedom today we pay tribute to their service
we mourn alongside their families and we strive to be worthy of their sacrifice
the heroes who rest in these hallowed fields in cemeteries battlefields and
burial grounds near and far are drawn from the full tapestry of American life
they came from every generation from towering cities and windswept prairies
from privilege and from poverty they were generals and privates captains and
corporals of every race color and of every Creed but they were all brothers
and sisters in arms and they were all United then as they are united now
forever by their undying love of our great country
theirs was a love more deep and more pure than most will ever know it was a
love that will them up mountains through deserts across oceans and into enemy
camps and unknown dangers they marched into hell so that America could know the
blessings of peace they died so that freedom could live America's legacy of
service is exemplified by a World War two veteran who joins us today Senator
Bob Dole
earlier this year I was fortunate to present a very special award to Bob the
Congressional Gold Medal
Bob thank you for honoring us with your presence and thank you for your lifetime
of service to our nation today we remember your fallen comrades who never
returned home from that great struggle for freedom we are all so proud to be in
the company of another American hero Navy veteran raesha ves
at 106 years of age
and he was in the Oval Office two days ago and he doesn't look a day over 60 he
is the oldest living survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor
what a guy Andray you are truly an inspiration to all who are here today
and all of our great country Thank You ray for being with us thank you thank
you most importantly we're joined today by the families of American heroes who
made the ultimate sacrifice we cannot imagine the depth of emotion that this
day brings each year the grief renewed the memories relived those last
beautiful moments together cherished and always remembered and you also feel that
incredible pride a pride shared by one really and truly grateful nation
- every parent who weeps for a child - every child who mourns for a parent and
- every husband or wife whose heart has been torn in two today we ask God to
comfort your pain to ease your sorrow and to wipe away your tears this is a
very special day and today our whole country thanks you embraces you and
pledges to you we will never forget our heroes
joining us today is the family of marine lieutenant colonel david green who rests
here at Arlington
David grew up in upstate New York dreaming of attending the United States
Naval Academy in 1982 that dream came true
soon another dream came true when Dave met his eternal soul mate Sarah who was
here with their two beautiful children Jenna and Wesley
he's looking down on you right now you know that right he's looking down on you
and he's so proud and happy after ten years of service as a Marine helicopter
pilot Dave left active duty to spend more time with the people who truly
filled his heart those are the people you just met but Sarah knew the man she
married she knew he couldn't live without serving couldn't do it so she
suggested he joined the services in the form of reserves and that's what he did
in January 2004 Dave deployed to Iraq that summer just a few weeks before he
was scheduled to return home he was called in to provide air support for
ground troops who were in very serious danger they were in very serious trouble
he immediately raced to the scene as he covered his troops he was shot by ground
fire giving up his life for his comrades and for his country lieutenant colonel
green remains one of the highest-ranking Marines to have been killed in Iraq
since 2003 but for him it was never about rank or title like all of his
fellow warriors it was only about duty he served to defend our flag and our
freedom and now his son Wesley who was a senior at Liberty University plans to
follow in his father's footsteps and join the military
Wesley I just want to congratulate you and your entire family great great
family thank you very much and thank you for being here with us thank you very
much beautiful you know love the military
these are incredible people we're also honored to have with us today the family
of Army Captain Mark Stubb and Hoffer and his wife Patty and their children
Lauren Justin and hope please
thank you for being with us thank you very much such an honor
mark grew up not far from here in Springfield Virginia every year he
visited these grounds and hope to someday serve here as a member of that
very very famous old guard in 2004 mark deployed to Iraq for the second time
while he was there patty went into labor with their third
child and Mark was with her by phone when their beautiful baby girl was born
together they named her hope just a few months later mark was on a mission near
Baghdad when he was tragically slain by a sniper's bullet today hope is 13 years
old although she never had the chance to meet her great father she can feel his
love wrapped around her every single day and when Patti puts her children to bed
and kisses them goodnight she can see marks legacy beaming back at her through
their bright and glowing eyes thank you so much
really beautiful thank you you know that right
also joining us today is a very special friend 7 year old Christian Jacobs who
is here with his mom Brittany I met Christian exactly one year ago today
last year after the wreath laying ceremony Christian walked over to me
with great confidence if my hand looked me straight in the eye and asked if I
would like to meet his dad he loved his dad Marine Sergeant Christopher Jacobs
who died when Christian was just 8 months old
next Christian looking as sharp as you could look dressed in a beautiful marine
outfit I've never seen a marine look that good of my life cursed
he wanted to look good he told me as a tribute to his father and he led me to
his dad's grave and we paid our respects together it was a moment I will always
remember Christian I want you to know that even though your father has left
this world he's left it for the next but he's not gone he'll never be gone your
dad's love courage and strength live in you Christian and as you grow bigger and
stronger just like him so too does your father's incredible legacy so thank you
both that's so beautiful thank you thank you
Thank You Christian good to see you he's become my friend I will tell you special
young man to every family member of the fallen I want you to know that the
legacy of those you lost does not fade with time but grows only more powerful
their legacy does not like a voice in the distance become a faint echo but
instead their legacy grows deeper spreading further touching more lives
reaching down through time and out across many generations through their
sacrifice your loved ones have achieved something very very special immortality
today we also remember the more than 82,000 American servicemen and women who
remain missing from wars and conflicts fought over the past century we will
never stop searching for them
and whenever possible we will bring them home we pledge to remember not just on
Memorial Day we will always remember them we will remember them every day
moments ago I laid a wreath in tribute to those resting in honored glory for
more than 80 years the Sentinels of the old guard have kept watch over
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier serving in this elite unit is among the most
prestigious honors in the United States military while the rest of us sleep
while we go about our lives through every minute through every day through
freezing cold scorching heat and raging storms they stand watch even when the
earth shook beneath their feet on 9/11 and smoke from the Pentagon dark in the
sky above these tree-lined hills here they remained faithful at their post
eternal on guard they never moved The Sentinel always stands because America
never forgets it's our heroes who make us who we are
and who determined what we will be
our fallen heroes have not only written our history they've shaped our destiny
they saved the lives of the men and women with whom they served they cared
for their families more than anything in the world they loved their families they
inspired their communities uplifted their country and provided the best
example of courage virtue and valor the world will ever know they fought and
bled and died so that America would forever remain safe and strong and free
each of the markers on that field each of the names engraved in stone teach us
what it means to be loyal and faithful and proud and brave and righteous and
true that is why we come to this most sacred place that is why we guard these
grounds with absolute devotion that is why we always will remember because here
on this soil on these grounds beneath those fields lies the true source of
American greatness of American glory and of American freedom as long as we are
blessed with Patriots such as these we shall forever remain one people one
family and one nation under God
it's been my great honor to be with you today I want to thank you may God bless
the families of the Fallen may God bless the men and women who serve and may God
bless the United States of America our great country thank you thank you very
much
you
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