President Donald Trump laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Memorial Day, accompanied by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as well as Vice President JD Vance. The president also honored the fallen service members of Operation Epic Fury. 

The Memorial Day ceremony, held at Arlington National Cemetery, has been a sacred ceremony and a tradition for Trump and other presidents to do so on Memorial Day for years. After walking up to the tomb, Trump laid a wreath at the tomb as others surrounding the tomb stood silent.

The ceremony was followed by speeches from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine, Hegseth, as well as Trump.

“Across the centuries, the character, courage, and commitment of the American warfighter has never wavered, and it never will,” Caine said. “It’s that same warfighting spirit we recently saw in Operation Epic Fury, and we remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice, adding their names to the story of American heroism, to the Gold Star families here today, and those watching across this great nation, we know that for you Memorial Day is not a single date on a calendar, it’s literally every single day.”

Hegseth said in his speech, “Picnics, barbecues, and time at the beach, those things are wonderful aspects of Memorial Day weekend, and we should enjoy them for the fallen, they would want it that way, but this solemn day we must remember that our republic was forged and purchased with blood, American blood. So take pause today and consider the transformation these warriors went through for our nation. Share it with your kids and your grandkids. We must.”

Vance in his speech, said, “People will come up to our veterans and say things like ‘Happy Memorial Day’ or ‘May you have a blessed Memorial Day,’ and those of us who served know acutely that today is not for all veterans– as much as we love all of our veterans. Today is for those veterans who put on the uniform, who went overseas, and who never came home.”

Trump then spoke, and said, “We unite in solemn observance with reverent hearts. We honor those who fell, so that our republic might stand, those who died, so that our nation could live, those who gave up their sacred light on earth, so that the sublime light of American freedom would shine forever and ever.”

The president then recognized the Gold Star families in the crowd to the applause of those in the crowd. “We owe our liberty, our self-government, the glories of our history, and our very nation itself to the generations who paid for it with everything they had, the ultimate sacrifice,” Trump later added. 

He also recognized the 13 members of the military who gave their lives in Operation Epic Fury. “In Operation Epic Fury, we lost 13 wonderful souls, wonderful special people. These incredible men and women gave their lives to ensure that the world’s number one state sponsor of terror will never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. He then recognized the family of Ariana Savino, who was killed during an aerial refueling accident in the conflict. 

Trump later said,” From Brittany to Sicily, from Panama City to Saipan, from the Netherlands to North Africa to New Zealand. This whole planet is adorned with memorials to America’s fallen and to America’s greatness, to their courage carved in marble and engraved in the hearts of all of mankind. We will never forget you.” The president recounted stories of US military members who gave the ultimate sacrifice.