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Arlington Ceremony Remembers America's Fallen Heroes

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Memorial Day is the day that makes possible all other days of the American republic, Vice President Mike Pence said at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

"Without it and the patriots we honor … there would be no other American days," he said.

A man lays a wreath in a cemetery.
Wreath Laying
Vice President Mike Pence lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan and Army Maj. Gen. Michael L. Howard at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., May 27, 2019.
Credit: Lisa Ferdinando, DOD
VIRIN: 190527-D-BN624-0825C

Pence spoke today following a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Arlington National Cemetery, with more than 400,000 graves, is the epicenter of America's remembrance.

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The vice president told those gathered at the cemetery's Memorial Amphitheater, that the nation has been blessed by the service of Americans of all walks of life who stepped forward in the country's hours of need. "The unbroken chord of military services stretches into the mists of American history: From Bunker Hill to Belleau Wood, from San Juan Hill to Saipan, from the Coral Sea to Kandahar," he said. "Heroic Americans have answered their country's call, and paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Their duty was to serve. Our duty is to remember."

Three men stand during a ceremony honoring fallen service members.
Honoring Heroes
Vice President Mike Pence, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, honor the fallen men and women of the U.S. military, at the 151st Memorial Day observance at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., May 27, 2019.
Credit: Lisa Ferdinando, DOD
VIRIN: 190527-D-BN624-1206C

Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Americans must honor those who gave the last full measure to the nation and should "reflect on the values and high ideals for which we stand."

Dunford also asked Americans to remember that the United States is a country worth fighting for.

"The story of those remembered today is one of extraordinary sacrifice, it's a story of lives cut short, of hopes and dreams never realized," the general said. "It's also a story of sacrifice for the families left behind: the anguish of parents, spouses, children, siblings and friends; the sadness of the empty seat at the family table."

A man speaks in front of a crowd at a ceremony.
Observance Ceremony
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford delivers remarks during a Memorial Day observance ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., May 27, 2019.
Credit: Lisa Ferdinando, DOD
VIRIN: 190527-D-BN624-0991C

But their stories include the fact that those men and women stood for something larger than themselves. "It's about men and women who embodied the most important values and traditions of our nation," he said. "And it's about men and women who made a difference."

The vice president, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan and Dunford all stressed that Americans should resolve to be worthy of such sacrifices. Dunford called on Americans to "resolve to strengthen our personal commitment to the values that they stood for and resolve to make a difference in our nation and communities. If we do that, those who were taken from us prematurely will be able to look down and know we truly remember them."

Two men talk before a ceremony.
Observance Ceremony
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan and Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meet at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., before a Memorial Day observance ceremony May 27, 2019.
Credit: Lisa Ferdinando, DOD
VIRIN: 190527-D-BN624-0638C

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