Gen. Mark A. Milley, second from left, 39th Chief of Staff of the Army, and Candy Martin, president American Gold Star Mothers Inc., lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Sept. 25, 2016, in Arlington, Va. The...
ARLINGTON, Va. (Army News Service) -- "No words can be said to ease your pain and no ceremony can fill the void you feel," Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley told Gold Star mothers, families and friends at Arlington National Cemetery Sunday, Sept. 25.
"None of us can imagine the pain of your loss," he continued. "But each and every one of you Gold Star mothers exhibit grace and strength, and the U.S. Army and the entire nation is in your debt."
The event was the commemorative ceremony for the 80th year of Gold Star Mother's Day, which is the last Sunday in September each year.
The chief, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he thinks daily about the 242 Soldiers who lost their lives under his command. He recalls their dedication to the Army and to each other.
"Commanders, including myself, put your sons and daughters in harm's way," he said. "Each of us asks, 'was it worth it?'"
They served and died to protect the Constitution and the many freedoms Americans have today, he said. The chief added, "[if] you ask the ghosts of the fallen if it was worth it," they would tell you that freedom was worth fighting for.
In the last 15 years of war, 5,367 service members have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, he noted. Today, 187,000 Soldiers are deployed around the world, many of them in harm's way. Just yesterday, the general said, he was at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center visiting three Soldiers who were critically wounded in Afghanistan.
Milley encouraged Gold Star mothers and families and everyone else to continue to tell the stories of the sacrifices their sons and daughters made, not just on Gold Star Mother's Day, but every day of the year.
"Your sons and daughters live on by the work you are doing every day," he said, addressing some two dozen Gold Star mothers. "Your strength and resilience makes us all stronger and gives meaning to our service."
The chief also laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
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