Honoring our heroes
Paying tribute to our war dead on Memorial Day
The families of fallen soldiers joined political leaders across the country to spend Memorial Day at parades and solemn ceremonies to honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their nation.
President Trump came to Arlington National Cemetery, where he spoke before an audience of Cabinet members, military leaders, veterans and families assembled in the marble amphitheater near the Tomb of the Unknowns.
The commander in chief praised America’s fallen vets for their service.
“We are gathered here on the sacred soil of Arlington National Cemetery to honor the lives and deeds of America’s greatest heroes, the men and women who laid down their lives for our freedom,” Trump said.
“Today, we pay tribute to their service, we mourn alongside their families, and we strive to be worthy of their sacrifice. The heroes who rest in these hallowed fields, in cemeteries, battlefields near and far, are drawn from the full tapestry of American life, and they were all united then as they are united now forever by their undying love of our great country,” Trump said.
During his second Memorial Day trip to Arlington as president, Trump laid a wreath at the tomb before making his remarks.
He also recognized military figures, including Bob Dole, the former senator and 1996 Republican presidential nominee, who served in World War II.
And he spoke warmly about a number of military families in attendance, including a young boy named Christian Jacobs, whose father, Christopher, is buried at Arlington.
Trump said the child showed him his father’s grave last year, calling it “a moment I will always remember.”
Memorial Day messages from First Lady Melania Trump and Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, emphasized remembrance and thanks.
“As we remember our fallen servicemen and women, our hearts are filled with gratitude for their sacrifice and awe of their courage,” Ivanka Trump tweeted.
And Melania Trump — who did not attend the event — thanked service members and their families for helping safeguard the country.
“We honor the many Americans who laid down their lives for our great country. As one nation under God, we come together to remember that freedom isn’t free,” she tweeted.
Gen. Joseph Dunford, the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, honored the more than 1 million Americans he said “gave their last full measure so we could live in freedom and raise our children in peace.”
He also honored the families “they left behind and for whom every day is Memorial Day.”
Those who fought and died for America, he said, “shared a commitment to something greater than themselves and they were people who understand what we have in this country is worth fighting for.”
Those who attended the Memorial Day tribute included Trump’s chief of staff, John Kelly, whose son, Marine 2nd Lt. Robert M. Kelly, was killed in November 2010 after he stepped on a land mine while on patrol in southern Afghanistan. He is buried at Arlington.
In New York, meanwhile, not even honoring the nation’s war dead could bring together the feuding Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio.
They both appeared at the Little NeckDouglaston Memorial Day Parade in Queens — but marched about a half-hour apart, with Hizzoner following Cuomo.
The mayor arrived 15 minutes after Cuomo and spent another 15 minutes lingering at the start before departing down the mile-long parade route.
A chorus of boos greeted de Blasio as he marched.
One man jeered, “Hey a--hole! Go the f--k home,” while another heckler followed de Blasio for a block, shouting, “Worst mayor ever.”
The hostile reception came six months after the traditionally Republican community backed de Blasio’s GOP opponent, Nicole Malliotakis, in the 2017 election.
“It’s a special day. For me, it’s always bittersweet,” Cuomo said.
“On one hand, we remember those that were lost and remember that we still have fighting men and women who are in a position of danger and we’re still losing lives. On the other hand, we show respect, we show appreciation, we show gratitude for their sacrifice.”
Before arriving in New York City, Cuomo marched side-by-side with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in New Castle, near their home in Chappaqua.
De Blasio’s first stop Monday was a remembrance service on the USS Intrepid. The event featured the unfurling of a giant American flag, as well as the laying of ceremonial wreaths, a rifle salute and the playing of taps.