"This weekend, folks across the country are opening up the pool,
firing up the grill, and taking a well-earned moment to relax. But
Memorial Day is more than a three-day weekend. In town squares and
national cemeteries, in public services and moments of quiet reflection,
we will honor those who loved their country enough to sacrifice their
own lives for it.
This Memorial Day, Michelle and I will join Gold Star families,
veterans, and their families at Arlington National Cemetery. We'll pay
tribute to patriots of every generation who gave the last full measure
of devotion, from Lexington and Concord to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Later that day, we'll join Vietnam veterans and their families at the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial-the Wall. We'll begin to mark the 50th
anniversary of the Vietnam War. It's another chance to honor those we
lost at places like Hue, Khe Sanh, Danang and Hamburger Hill. And we'll
be calling on you-the American people-to join us in thanking our Vietnam
veterans in your communities.
Even as we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice, we reaffirm
our commitment to care for those who served alongside them-the veterans
who came home. This includes our newest generation of veterans, from
Iraq and Afghanistan.
We have to serve them and their families as well as they have served
us: By making sure that they get the healthcare and benefits they need;
by caring for our wounded warriors and supporting our military families;
and by giving veterans the chance to go to college, find a good job,
and enjoy the freedom that they risked everything to protect.
Our men and women in uniform took an oath to defend our country at
all costs, and today, as members of the finest military the world has
ever known, they uphold that oath with dignity and courage. As
President, I have no higher honor than serving as their
Commander-in-Chief. But with that honor comes a solemn responsibility -
one that gets driven home every time I sign a condolence letter, or meet
a family member whose life has been turned upside down.
No words can ever bring back a loved one who has been lost. No
ceremony can do justice to their memory. No honor will ever fill their
absence.
But on Memorial Day, we come together as Americans to let these
families and veterans know that they are not alone. We give thanks for
those who sacrificed everything so that we could be free. And we commit
ourselves to upholding the ideals for which so many patriots have fought
and died.
Thank you, God bless you, and have a wonderful weekend."
Source mymotherlode.com reporter Mark Truppner
