U.S. Vice President JD Vance marked Memorial Day with a solemn address at Arlington National Cemetery, paying tribute to the fallen heroes of America. Calling the site a “sacred place,” Vance reflected on the immense sacrifice made by the nation’s service members. He emphasized unity, duty, and remembrance as pillars of American identity. The event saw emotional moments as families and veterans gathered to honor those lost. His speech drew praise for its reverence, depth, and powerful message of national gratitude and continuity across generations.
#JDVance #MemorialDay #ArlingtonCemetery #FallenHeroes #VicePresident #AmericaHonors #Sacrifice #MilitaryTribute #VeteransDay #SacredGround #USMilitary #NationalCemetery #HonorTheFallen #USHistory #MemorialSpeech #Gratitude #Patriotism #AmericanHeroes #Unity #Remembrance
~ED.194~HT.408~
#JDVance #MemorialDay #ArlingtonCemetery #FallenHeroes #VicePresident #AmericaHonors #Sacrifice #MilitaryTribute #VeteransDay #SacredGround #USMilitary #NationalCemetery #HonorTheFallen #USHistory #MemorialSpeech #Gratitude #Patriotism #AmericanHeroes #Unity #Remembrance
~ED.194~HT.408~
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00This is a sacred place, an eternal resting spot for our nation's sons and daughters.
00:08We gather in solemn commemoration of their sacrifice and the sacrifice made by all those
00:16who gave up their lives in service to our beloved country.
00:21In 1915, President Woodrow Wilson laid the cornerstone of the Memorial Amphitheater we
00:27gather in today.
00:30Buried within it was a copper box which contained mementos of profound significance to the amphitheater's
00:37designers and to our entire country.
00:40There were four things, an American flag, a Bible, a copy of our Declaration of Independence,
00:48and a copy of the U.S. Constitution.
00:51In the objects they chose to dedicate to posterity, those Americans remind us of the values we
00:57hold timeless and dear as a nation and as a people.
01:02But those values didn't spring from any stonework or time capsule.
01:07They were lived out day after day by the people buried in this hallowed cemetery.
01:15Each life honored here in Arlington was once full of the ordinary moments and quiet dreams,
01:23of early sunrises, of good days and bad days, of celebrations and disappointments.
01:32They stood not apart from us, but among us, ordinary men and women who chose to shoulder
01:39an impossible burden.
01:42And when we consider what they gave to us, it's common, of course, to focus on their deaths,
01:49on the courage to give in that moment what very few are willing or able to sacrifice.
01:56But the real tragedy of the loss is not in a single moment of suffering as our Gold Star
02:01families know well, but in all the future moments, they and their families lost.
02:07Every moment between their sacrifice on the battlefield and what would have been a natural death.
02:15Because we know they sacrifice not just their physical life, they sacrifice the moments that make that life worthwhile.
02:24They sacrifice a child's embrace, they sacrifice walking their daughter down the aisle, of seeing their
02:32husband or wife after a big promotion of sharing a meal with the family at Thanksgiving.
02:38For my fellow Americans, especially those watching on television, consider the sum of all the moments
02:45that make a good life.
02:47And now appreciate that countless strangers, people most of you never met, they gave up those moments in
02:55their own life so that we could enjoy them in ours.
03:00And that is what Memorial Day is all about.
03:04I once heard a Marine Corps Colonel that I served with, he said this in 2005, not long after a very tough
03:10deployment to Iraq.
03:12He said this about his fallen men, that they were the best looking, they were the kindest,
03:18they were the smartest, they were the most devoted.
03:22They were the very best of us.
03:26To them, we owe everything.
03:29And today, in the peace they bequeathed us, we honor them.
03:35As the Book of Wisdom tells us, but the righteous one, though he die early, shall be at rest.
03:41For the age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time, nor can it be measured in terms of years.
03:51They laid down their lives for Americans they would never meet, for generations yet unborn,
03:57for a nation that would not exist absent their incredible courage.
04:04Now we know their families in particular have given so much.
04:08And in particular, I want to speak to the gold star families, to the families who have lost a son, a daughter, a husband, or a wife, to every child here who misses your dad or your mom.
04:19Know that your loved one to us is a hero.
04:24And though we cannot know your pain, please know that I speak for the entire nation when I say that we are grateful to them and to you for a debt none of us can possibly repay.
04:38Now all of us will honor the fallen and their families in our own way.
04:43But allow me to suggest two ways of honoring their sacrifice, two ways that I try to honor their sacrifice every day.
04:50First, we ought to commit ourselves and expect from our leaders to treat the lives of our troops as the most precious resource.
05:03The very best way to honor the fallen is to only ask the next generation to make the ultimate sacrifice when they absolutely must.
05:23We must be cautious in sending our people to war.
05:28The second way that I try to honor the fallen is to commit ourselves to being worthy of their sacrifice.
05:38If you're a husband, be the best husband you can be.
05:41If you're a mom, be the best mom that you can be.
05:44If you're a citizen, be the very best citizen that you can be.
05:48Because together, let us build a better country, a more perfect union, and strive to be the kind of nation worthy of the sacrifice of the people that we honor today.
06:00On this Memorial Day, let us remember that we have been given a great gift, often by people none of us ever met.
06:07Let us cherish that gift and make ourselves worthy of it.
06:12May God bless those who gave that gift.
06:15And may he bless the country they sacrificed for.
06:19Subscribe to One India and never miss an update.