>> from the vietnam memorial, which includes the three soldiers statue, the vietnam women's memorial and the vietnam veterans memorial wall, we are going to head across the potomac river for the wreathlaying ceremony at the tomb of the unknown. and later, remarks by president obama who just returned from an unannounced trip visiting troops in afghanistan.

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>> president obama has arrived for today's observance. in the honorable chuck hagel, secretary of defense. the 18th chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. theutive director of

national military cemetery. commanding general of the united states army military oestreich of washington.

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>> ladies and gentlemen, please ,tand for the introduction invocation, and national anthem.

, majorand chaplain general jeffrey buchanan, commanding general, united states army. executive director of the army national ella terry cemetery. chairman, joint

chiefs of staff. the honorable chuck hagel, secretary of defense. >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states. ♪ [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, chaplain raynor. let us join together in

prayer. god, we ask your presence be upon us this day. a day in which we as a nation come together on this hallowed ground to honor those brave men and women who gave all they had for the service of our nation and our freedom. never let us forget the sacrifice and their willingness to serve. they did not ask to become heroes, they asked for courage to never leave their friends, brothers and sisters, those who stood watch with them. warriors died for our country in war. we recognize their gift to us is peace and liberty. the kind of liberty that endures through long struggles. the kind of liberty that is

bound with the blood of these, our heroes. brave men and women who answered the call and said send me. they will never be seen again. libertyelebrate this and give comfort to those who continue to grieve. let them know that their loved one did not die in vain and that we will never, ever forget. help us now as we recommit our lives to the service of our nation. let them know that they are not alone. we ask these things in your holy name, amen. leese joined the navy band in singing our national anthem.

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[applause] >> please be seated. >> ladies and gentlemen, general dempsey. [applause] >> thanks very much. hagel,sident, secretary members of congress and , families of guest

our missing and fallen warriors and especially those from the tragedy assistance program. [applause] up --, r rolling hills remind us that on this ground there is so much history and valor resting. looking out at these headstones i am reminded of a seldom sung stanza of our national valid, america the beautiful. dreamstiful for patriot that see beyond the years, nine alabaster cities gleam on bound by human tears. and we honor the patriot dreams of america's sons and daughters. those who were willing to fight

in every climb and in every place. they were willing to give their lives for our nation's ideals. we grieve, but we are also inspired. here we celebrate the timeless strength of america, undimmed by human tears. we know we are a better nation for the sacrifice of the men and women who served. we have the chance to bow our heads and remember our fallen heroes. we respect their sacrifice. it is the responsibility of a grateful nation to look act. it is incumbent on us to look forward. we are out there still, on the frontiers of air, defense. they are in afghanistan and around the world. they are across the shining cities -- sees. withwill marshal the day

courage to make a difference for each other, us, and people they have never met but with whom they share a dream of a better future. day by oured every men and women in uniform. they rep resent the best of this country. let us remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and show that america stands firmly with those who protect her. let us renew and rededicate ourselves to the ideas of our nation. may god shed his grace on our fallen, are missing, their families, and this nation. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, listen now as the navy band performs

l."erica the beautifu ♪ ♪ o beautiful for spacious

skies. grain.amber waves of purple mountains majesty plain.he fruited america, god shed his grace on thee. thy good with sea toood, from shining sea. ♪

♪ dreamsiful for patriot that see beyond the years. sign alabaster cities gleam america,by human tears

, god shed his grace on and crown thy good with from sea to shinging sea. ♪ ♪ america ♪ [applause]

[applause] [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, secretary chuck hagel. [applause] >> thank you and good morning.

obama, vicet, mrs. biden,t biden, dr. general dempsey, ladies and gentlemen. i want to acknowledge and add my of our to the families military men and women who are here today and who are watching this all over the world. welcomeo particularly the families of the fallen who are here with us this morning. we admire you and are grateful. we will never forget your sacrifices and the sacrifices of your loved ones. i very much appreciate the opportunity to be here.

in this morning. it in this place. as we observe this very sacred day in america, the morrill day. remember people who sacrificed everything in defense of our nation. next week marks the 70th anniversary of the d-day landings at normandy. that was the bloodiest day in all of world war ii. a day with more than 10,000 allied casualties. such a staggering toll is difficult to comprehend the. fallen, iemorate the think of the wisdom and the humility of our allied commander, dwight david eisenhower. that any battlefield to -- commanderder

would face that his honors cannot last in his memory. they cannot soothe the anguish whose sonow or orphan or daughter will not return. approaching a. of great transition. the three had been achieved in europe. the war would end in the coming months. soldiers were beginning to come home and get on with their lives. itself,try began to ask where should we go from here? conclude 13 years of war, we are approaching another. of transition. these times of change and uncertainty require exceptional leadership. they demand leaders

who are strong in the face of challenges. who are wise in the face of complexity. who are prudent in the face of uncertainty. as the is humble courageous individuals they lead. our commander-in-chief is one of those exceptional leaders. he was in afghanistan less than 24 hours ago. military of all of our men and women and their families, i want to thank him and his personal commitment to those deployed in harm's way. ladies and gentlemen i am now,ed to introduce to you the president of the united states. [applause] >> thank you. >> thank you so much. leese be seated. hagel andou secretary

for your lifetime of service. vice president biden, jill, general dempsey, major general brainerd, toplin our men and women in uniform here and around the world, to our outstanding veterans, but most of all to our gold star families here remembering the ones that have lost. tomichelle and i are humbled remember this memorial day with you. year, this ceremony marks another page in the life of our nation.

this year in particular, as we 150thize the anniversary of this holy space, arlington national cemetery. ago, war raged on a hillside not far from where we gather today. ill prepared for war found itself overwhelmed with the task of burying so many of its sons. we declared upon this hill a fine arresting -- final resting place. day in 1864, private william chrisman of pennsylvania was the first american to find internal rest on these grounds.

half, in century and a times of war and times of peace, americans have come here to pay tribute not only to the loved ones who but the world to them but to all of our heroes, known and unknown. , in perfect military order. here, side by side the privates and the generals who defeated fascism and laid the groundwork for an american century. here lie the americans who whoht in vietnam and those want a long twilight struggle against communism. women who gaved their lives to keep our homeland

safe after more than a decade of war in iraq and afghanistan. i returned from afghanistan this morning. yesterday i visited with some of our men and women serving their 7000 miles from home. , theyre than 12 years have borne the burden of our nation's security. sacrifice,their because of the progress they have made, we are at a pivotal moment. our troops are coming home. by the end of this year, our war in afghanistan will come to an end. [applause]

yesterday, we pay tribute to the patriots00 american who have made the ultimate sacrifice in afghanistan. we will on of them always. today in small towns across america, in cemeteries throughout our country and here on theseld, solemn hillsides, we share stories of the lives they lead. ache in their absence. our hearts are also full. full and knowing that their legacy shines bright in the people that they love the most. almost unimaginable loss, these families of the fallen have tapped a courage and

resolve many of us will never know. we draw comfort and strength from their example. we draw strength from the promise of their children. michele and jill are with 200 brave toys and girls whose parents gave everything they had in service to their country. they were mothers and fathers like staff sergeant michael cardin us. the years since have been hard for his family. with the love of their mother and their three youngest , are here today.

we say to you and to all of these courageous children, your parents live on a new. you'll never walk alone. your country will be there to help you grow up. that is our pledge to you. [applause] we draw strength from the love of the spouses of the fallen. sergeant first class joseph gant

was a veteran of world war ii when he met her on a plane to california. he courted her for two years before she agreed to marry him. korea,seph employed to he told her to remarry if he did not come back. she told him no. he had a hard enough time getting her to say yes in the first place. she would wait as long as it took for him to come home. action went missing in she waited. she waited 63 years. work totry continued to bring home the missing from all of our wars. december, his remains were finally identified.

he returned home to be laid to rest. remarried during the 63 years. 96 years old, she was there to welcome him home. we are honored to have clara gets here with us today. [applause] [applause]

we draw strength of the parents who have given their sons and daughters to america. in my state of the union address classe of sergeant first rory ramsburg. balcony, itd in the reminded our nation that we are blessed to be protected by patriots like him. that was only part of the story. hisy i want to close about brother in arms. roberto sanchez was killed by that same explosion. rob was not a big guy. his mother remembers that he was larger than life. surrounded by friends and

melting hearts with the devastating smile. he admired the army from a young age. dressed up as a soldier the first time he went out for halloween. he meticulously arranged g.i. joe's on his red room floor. when he watched the twin towers fall that awful september day, he found his calling to serve his country. tookud army ranger, he care of his fellow soldiers as he did his own family. october, 2009, he was on his fifth deployment area they were finishing a mitch and -- mission with their fellow rangers. the bomb went off and this -- made aamily matter

sacrifice to us will ever comprehend. in the todug deep live without rob. she keeps in touch with cory. she shares her memories of rob. she runs half marathons. they pour their hearts into raising their youngest son logan. she will probably send another son into military service. she is watching this from home near indianapolis. everyday, when she looks at the old photo of rob it sits on her dresser, she is reminded that even though he is gone, he will always inspire her. he will always be her superman. for the parents who lost a

child, the husband's and wives who've lost a partner, the thisren who lost a parent, day and this place is solemn reminders of the extraordinary sacrifice they have made in our name. that reminds us as well their service to our nation indoors. there are few who truly understand what it means to send a child into war. a battle buddy give his life to save others. these the families and veterans we are sworn to look after. these hallowed grounds we rededicate ourselves to our all whobligations to wear america's uniform and the families who stand by them always. will have the

resources they need to do their jobs. our nation will never stop searching for those who have gone missing. who held as prisoners of war. been reminded in recent days, we must keep faith with veterans and their families and make sure they have the resources they have earned and deserve. thanasked nothing more their country do its duty. [applause] the fallen patriots we immortalize today gave their last full measure of devotion. them, we might mourn though we do. not so that our nation might honor their sacrifice, although it does. they gave our lives that we

might live hours so the daughter might grow to pursue her dreams, a wife might be able to live a long life free and secure. familyr might raise her in a land of peace and freedom. everything that we hold precious was madeountry, it possible by americans who gave their all. our nation is stronger, safer, it will always remain a shining beacon of freedom for the rest of the world. may god bless the fallen and all of those who serve. may god watch over their families and may god continue to bless the united states of america. [applause]

[applause] please remain standing for the playing of taps and the benediction. ♪ ♪

♪ >> chaplain of brainerd will not give the benediction -- will now give the benediction. place, let usred pray. continue to strengthen our president and all of our leaders with energy and wisdom and sent us on our way with strength for the journey that led. bless our families and our comrades and help us be mindful of the principles of freedom, justice, and equality that have been along been our nation's

heritage. we would be remiss if we did not pray for the safety of our brothers and sisters who serve our nation this day. teach us of times to pray for their safe return with knowledge of a job well done. continue to bless this nation, our friends, and the flag we serve. may the spirit of god be near you to defend you within to andesh you, to guide you above you to bless you forever more. go in peace, brothers and sisters. amen. place untilmain in the president has departed and the colors are retired.

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