ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va. - Thousands gathered on the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery May 25 to honor the nation's fallen service men and women during the annual National Memorial Day observance.
The observance began with a Presidential Armed Forces Full Honor Wreath-Laying Ceremony conducted by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which was followed by an observance program hosted by the Department of Defense.
"For many of us, this Memorial Day is especially meaningful," President Barack Obama said in his address inside ANC's Memorial Amphitheater. "It is the first since our war in Afghanistan came to an end. Today is the first Memorial Day in 14 years that the United States is not engaged in a major ground war."
Also on hand for the event were Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter; Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey; and Maj. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan, commanding general, Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington.
Obama stressed that the nation's service members continue to remain on watch and serve, even though the war in Afghanistan has ended.
"Several years ago, we had more than 100,000 troops in Afghanistan," he said. "Today, fewer than 10,000 ground troops remain on a mission to train and assist Afghan forces. We'll continue to bring them home and reduce our forces further, down to an embassy presence by the end of next year. But Afghanistan remains a very dangerous place. And as so many families know, our troops continue to risk their lives for us."
Obama also noted that Arlington National Cemetery is more than the final resting place of some of the nation's heroes.
"It's a reflection of our history, the wars we've waged for democracy, the peace we've laid to preserve it," he said. "It's a reflection of our diversity, men and women of all backgrounds, all races and creeds and circumstances and faiths, willing to defend and die for the ideals that bind us as one nation."
Obama said that most Americans don't fully understand the sacrifice of the 1 percent of the nation's population who serve in its armed forces.
"Few know what it's like to take a bullet for a buddy, or to live with the fact that he or she took one for you," he said. "But our Gold Star families, our military families, our veterans, they know this, intimately."
Carter also paid tribute to the families of the fallen in his remarks.
"We, your fellow Americans, lack the words to describe what you feel today, because try as we may and try as we do, we can never fully know," he said.
Peter Erickson of Richmond, Virginia, attended the ceremony with his wife, Sarah, and their sons, Brandon, 6, and Jack, 2.
"Memorial Day is about remembering them and what they did for us," he said.
"Being here really brings that home," added Sarah.
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