Trump speech on Memorial Day honors military, celebrates America at 250 from Arlington Cemetery

[0:07] well thank you very much everybody what a beautiful day as it turns out it's just perfect [0:14] we'd rather have this than the heat it's just beautiful it's always beautiful being here [0:19] my fifth time and uh it never changes vice president vance secretary hegseth chairman [0:30] kane members of the cabinet members of the united states armed forces veterans and fellow citizens [0:39] today here at arlington a very special place that how burial grounds battlefields across [0:48] the country around the world we unite in solemn observance with reverent hearts we honor those [0:59] who fell so that our republic might stand those who died so that our nation could live those who [1:06] gave up their sacred light on earth so that the sublime light of american freedom would shine for [1:14] ever and ever this memorial day we salute them we exalt them and we thank them for all that we have [1:25] and for all that they gave they gave everything god bless our fallen heroes we're joined today by [1:34] some of those they left behind our incredible gold star families incredible people to every person here [1:43] and across america who holds tight to the memory of a warrior taken from them we will never ever [1:50] forget the ones you loved gold star family members please stand receive our thanks please thank you [2:23] thank you very much my honor less than six weeks from now our nation will reach a historic milestone 250 [2:32] years of majestic american independence something but it's only right that first we remember the immense [2:47] sacrifice that has been brought to us and this momentous anniversary year that's what it is it's a momentous [2:56] year before we hail the founding we honor the fallen before we celebrate the triumph we pay the tribute [3:05] before we crown the victory we count the cost today we are reminded that there could be no fourth of [3:13] july without america's armed forces and there could be no independence day without memorial day we owe our [3:21] liberty our self-government the glories of our history and our very nation itself to the generations who [3:28] paid for it with everything they had the ultimate sacrifice the first americans to give their lives in [3:37] battle fell on april 1775 when eight patriots were cut down by redcoats those guns they were shot on [3:50] lexington green they had answered the call to muster against their force five times their strength [3:59] they said at the time the greatest in the world in defense of their cherished rights and their cherished [4:06] liberty as the british approach to massachusetts militiamen summoned destiny itself saying if they [4:14] mean to have a war let it begin right here talib harrington was 23 years old when he accompanied his [4:30] father to the green that day torn apart from each other in the chaos of combat that american son died [4:38] trying to fight his way back to his father he wanted to get back to dad talib's cousin jonathan was [4:46] struck down at age 31 shot within the side of his home and his young wife and child who awaited his [4:53] return jonathan crawled bleeding back to them to die on his own doorstep for a final terrible but [5:05] beautiful farewell his widow and orphan were perhaps the very first gold star family in a long and broken [5:14] chain that reaches up through the ages to us right here today when our founding fathers put the ideas [5:22] of the declaration of independence to paper in philadelphia they signed and sealed an oath that [5:29] had already been written in blood by patriots at lexington concord and bunker hill their sacrifice birth [5:37] the most incredible and exceptional nation in all of history and our nation is doing better today than [5:45] it's ever done before that's right the cause of independence exploded from that part of the american [6:03] soul that will not be tamed that will never be conquered that will rather face death than to live as slaves to [6:12] the arbitrary will of another this is the unyielding spirit that has always set americans apart and [6:21] driven generations of american warriors into battle their chest beating with a cry that says we will govern [6:31] ourselves we will control our destiny we will bow to no one but the righteous god who made us and [6:40] who gave us our rights and blessed this land free and the bravest of the brave 10 days into the legendary [6:49] battle of the bulge in world war ii lieutenant colonel keith ware led 11 men in a tank against entrenched [6:58] german positions the toughest positions anywhere in the world half the patrol including ware himself [7:06] were soon wounded yet still he killed five enemy riflemen demolished three german machine gun nests [7:14] forced a fourth to surrender and captured the hill for his heroism he received the congressional [7:21] medal of honor unlike most drafted soldiers where stayed in the army and rose to the rank of general a [7:29] highly respected general in vietnam as commander of the first infantry the big red one they called it [7:39] that's very nice he led from the front and in 1968 that's where he was shot down surveying enemy [7:49] positions for the famous assault on hill 222 known as the fighting general he's buried here in arlington and [8:00] with us is his grandson and namesake staff sergeant keith ware at air force veteran keith where are you keith [8:11] where are you keith hi keith thank you very much great honor we're also honored to be joined by a man who [8:28] like general ware is a veteran of the largest battle in u.s army history the battle of the bulge at 15 harry [8:37] miller lied about his age to enlist and was soon fighting to stop the ss panzer divisions as part [8:44] of the famed 740th tank battalion the daredevils they were called of which he is among the last surviving [8:54] members at 97 years old within six months after the battle harry's unit lost 42 comrades he's remembering [9:03] them today sergeant miller it is a true honor to have you with us sergeant miller and it looks great [9:44] thank you many of the greatest men of that generation followed along an epic path from world war ii to [9:52] korea and to vietnam major charles kelly was the father of aggressive dust-off helicopter flying that [10:00] made army medical evacuation pilots among the most fearless in vietnam the greatest helicopter pilots [10:08] they say that ever lived like sergeant miller charles enlisted to serve in world war ii at age 15. he [10:16] was wounded at the battle of a ken and went on to fight in korea but flying helicopter ambulances in [10:25] vietnam is what etched his name into history since i have been here he wrote in 1964. we have evacuated [10:33] 1 800 casualties and in the last three months we've flown 242 hours at night no other unit can match us [10:43] and they flew the most dangerous routes probably in the history of warfare two weeks later under [10:49] brutal enemy fire kelly refused to withdraw until he had loaded the wounded aboard as he prepared for [10:57] takeoff an enemy bullet pierced his heart yet charles kelly's heroic life-saving style lived on his [11:04] comrades and command passed on to captain patrick henry brady and four years later brady piloted [11:12] three damaged helicopters in turn to evacuate an incredible 51 wounded warriors under intense fire [11:21] fire like no one has seen up until that point for this he received also the congressional medal of honor [11:30] general brady is with us at 89 years old as we salute his fallen mentor charles kelly thank you very [11:38] much thank you for being here thank you very much sergeant first class matthew mclintock enlisted in the [12:05] army in 2006 and became a very special green beret in 2016 he found himself in an hours-long [12:14] firefight with afghan terrorists when a comrade was severely wounded matthew wanted to find a landing [12:23] zone for a medevac rescue very dangerous horrible horrible way to be flying he was reminded on the [12:32] dangers but matthew replied we have to save him we have to do it running out in the face of mortars and [12:39] rocket propelled grenades he went to work but was soon gravely wounded he was hit from every possible [12:46] angle matthew fell that day but the soldier he gave his life to save survived and thrived and matthew [12:54] was awarded the silver star we're deeply honored to be joined by matthew's mother joyce his widow ali [13:02] and his precious young son declan here to remember matthew at his grave in section 60 10 years later so [13:13] joyce and ali and declan we salute sergeant matthew mclintock as an american hero please these are [13:42] tremendous people these are brave brave people in two wars recently we've lost a total of [13:49] 13 service members in venezuela which was a complete and total victory where we're working [13:56] very closely with the venezuela government right now we took that over in one day we lost no one [14:05] in operation epic fury we lost 13 wonderful souls wonderful special people these incredible men and [14:12] women gave their lives to ensure that the world's number one state sponsor of terror will never have a [14:19] nuclear weapon oh and they won't they will never have a nuclear weapon i'm sure you i'm sure you know [14:24] that one of them was major ariana savino lean say and we're joined by her great family omaira darren [14:40] zevin and wick stand up please please there he is there he is thank you thank you vick thank you very much [15:12] for all of you ariana's selfless gift will not be in vain our debt to you is everlasting and it's always [15:20] going to end in victory we're having victories all over the place more than we've had in many many [15:27] decades scripture tells us precious is the sight of the lord is the death of his faithful servants [15:37] 400 000 souls rest on these grounds these beautiful grounds and the sacred soil which is first [15:45] consecrated in the hours of america's greatest division to be eternal symbol national unity it [15:53] cannot be by chance alone that the very first service member laid to rest here in this place of [15:59] supreme sacrifice was a union soldier by the name of private christ man private william henry [16:09] christman of pennsylvania who died as 19 years old he was a great young man they say beside him are more [16:21] than 18 000 other young men named william over 20 000 named john over 13 000 named james joined over time [16:33] by isaac elijah earls hanks helens wands margaret's marius donald's not too many and others whose names tell [16:51] the true story of american greatness and greatness it is here beneath arching trees and white stones so [16:58] beautiful these many are made one again united forever as brothers and sisters and arms and children [17:06] of our fathers in heaven from coast to coast from proud cities to humble towns and from heartland fields [17:14] from every race and religion they came because they could not bear the thought that the nation they [17:20] love so much might ask for heroes and hear no answer but they answered and they answered very very loudly at [17:31] ticonderoga and san juan hill at manila bay and midway at point duak and busan the courage of the american [17:42] warrior has forged a path through every sea and every place that's marked a trail to every corner on the [17:50] earth in 250 years america's heroes have saved more lives freed more captives accomplished more good and spread [17:58] more hope than any other people at any time in the history of the world whole nations no liberty today [18:08] entire generations no freedom billions and billions of people have been delivered from poverty tyranny and [18:15] oppression because of the sacrifices we honor this day that's why from brittany to sicily from panama [18:25] city to saipan from the netherlands to north africa to new zealand this whole planet is adorned with [18:34] memorials to america's fallen and to america's greatness to their courage carved in marble and [18:42] engraved in the hearts of all of mankind we will never forget you from 1776 to 2026 america has always stood [18:54] as a great and moral cause our warriors are no mere mercenaries they are guardian angels who stride [19:02] across the battlefields of history and stand watch over the highest and most beautiful planes the human [19:11] spirit has ever seen holding the line between liberty and tyranny between civilization and barbarism [19:18] between good and evil wherever the american soldier walks wherever he fights wherever he fails and [19:28] wherever he falls he does it for the destiny of a nation like no other there's never been anybody like [19:37] you and for the fate of freedom on this earth we salute you like nobody has ever been saluted before [19:56] by their deaths those who have gone before us in battle have redeemed the promise of our founding for [20:04] each future generation they've not just made the ultimate sacrifice they've offered the ultimate [20:11] proof that we americans do indeed love liberty we do cherish the self-government given to us by [20:18] our forefathers we do believe with all our souls in the mission that god has given to america [20:26] and we do intend with all our strength and heart to hold high the torch our heroes handed to us and we [20:34] will never ever let it fall thank you very much you are special special people we love you all god [20:43] bless the families of the fallen god bless the men and women who serve and god bless the united [20:50] united states of america thank you very much [21:00] you