Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the official party of the introduction of the president , honors, indication and the national anthem. The command chaplain joint forces headquarters and the United StatesArmy Military district of washington. [applause] mader Major General michael l howard, commanding general, military district of washington. Ms. Karen at regular, director Army National military cemeteries program. [applause] chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. [applause] the honorable jim mattis, secretary of defense. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States. [hail to the chief playing] [applause] ladies and gentlemen, chaplain austin. Us pray. Almighty god, prince of peace, you have declared there is no greater love than to lay down ones life for friends. Today as a nation, we stand among americas sons and daughters, patriots who have given their lives to ensure our freedoms. We pause on this National Memorial day to her member their sacrifice and honor their memory. I pray we may be more aware of how blessed we are as a nation, so we realize the price that was paid to maintain our freedom. We pray today for families and friends who have given their life in service of our nation and pray they will be comforted and reassured the sacrifice of their loved ones is not forgotten. Lord, we ask you continue to give wisdom to our commander in chief, his administration, our elected officials and military leaders as they promote peace throughout our country and around the world. We have men and women deployed in harms way and we ask you continue to watch over and bless them with strength and courage to be victorious and we ask that they come home soon. We thank you, god, for our country and ask you continue to bless america. We ask these things not for cells but in accordance to your will and the promise of easter egg your holy name as the prince of peace, amen. Ladies and gentlemen, please join the air force band in singing our national anthem. [the starspangled banner playing] [applause] please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, general dunford. [applause] mr. President , mr. Vice president , secretary mattis, distinguished guests, and most importantly, our gold star familys, it is an honor to join you this morning in remembrance and reflection. Since the founding of our republic, more than 42 million americans have stepped forward to serve their country in uniform. Their story is one of selflessness, one of courage, and one of sheer commitment. But the story is one of extraordinary sacrifice. More than a million americans who have answered the call to duty gave the last full measure of their devotion so that fellow citizens could live in freedom and raise their children in peace. Whoy, we honor the fallen serve as waypoints in our history saratoga to totysburg to midway fallujah. We reflect on the in normandy of the sacrifice. We reflect only hopes and the dreams that were realized. Recognize the sacrifice of the families left behind, the anguish of families, spouses, siblings, and friends. The sadness of children growing up without their fathers or mothers. Families,r these every day is memorial day. Today we also reflect on what is most important about the men and women we honor. We reflect on how they lived. Largerood for something than themselves. They embody the most important values and traditions of our nation. They were people who understood what we have in this country is worth fighting for. And though they were taken from us prematurely, they were people who touched our lives. They were people who made a difference. Today, we truly want to honor the following from all of our conflicts and do something other than work there graves with flags and flowers. More than ao deliberate for a few moments. If we truly want to give meaning to the sacrifice of those who have given all in our behalf, each of us will leave here today finding a way of serving our nation in their honor. If we do that, i think that those who were taken from us prematurely will look down and know that we truly do remember them. And thank you for remembering. [applause] ladies and gentlemen. Listen now as the United States air force band performs america the beautiful. Playing america the beautiful] beautiful for spacious grain for amber waves of purple mountains majesties above the fruited plain america his grace on the and crown thy good with brotherhood to shining sea o beautiful for pilgrim feet [indistinct lyrics] America America grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea and crown thy good with brotherhood sea ea to shining [applause] ladies and gentlemen, secretary mattis. [applause] mattis they shall not are leftas those who will grow old. Age shall not weary them. And going down with the sun in will never them. Mr. President , mr. Vice president , chairman of the joint familys,ld star everyone we gather here today with a shared attitude of gratitude. 20 centuries ago, so plutarch tells us, in old spartan king observes, its not the places men, but men grace the place. Today, we know that he was right. More than a century ago, this 620 fouracre plot of land was a plantation on the potomac. Scenic, but hardly sacred. Now these fields hold the greatest treasure of our nation, americas courageous dead. Those today we pause to remember. Not far from here lies the marking the marker of oliver a civilholmes junior, war infantryman who later became a Supreme Court justice. He said, those who serve in our military have hearts that are touched with fire. Having known great things, he said, he said, they are content with silence. Known one ofver the following, you have known greatness, but it is hard to be content with their silence, for we miss them. The empty chair on the holiday, the empty every day, the photograph that goes where ever you do, the picture fades, but the person in it does not. Theyre fighting spirit persists , has gone through the ranks. Their spirit echoes with those who serve today on their, in air, on land, and on see. Things stand firm. Some things are, as plato said, good and true and beautiful. The kid on the line who never had a chance to grow old will always be there to teach us that suffering has meaning if it is accepted out of love for others. The families of the following both here and at home i beg you, let it have meaning. Unite your sorrow to this awesome person. Timee blessed with our. Ith those now asleep let us share our stories with others. Like the poet we can say, sleep, soldiers, still in honored rest. The bravest are the tenderest, the loving are the daring. Now, ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor to introduce our commanderinchief, president of the United States donald trump. [applause] President Trump thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, general dunford, for yourmattis moving words and for your service to our great nation. Pence, cabinet secretaries, members of congress, members of the armed forces, thank you for joining us, as we are the brave warriors as we honor the brave warriors who gave their lives for hours, sending the last moments in defense of this great country and its people. Words cannot measure the depth of their devotion, the. He of their love, or the totality of their courage. Day we hope that every can prove worthy, not only of their sacrifice and service, but of the sacrifice made by their families and loved ones left behind. Special, special people. I especially want to extend secretary john kelly for joining us today. Wonderful man. [applause] President Trump i always like to call him general. He understands more than most everwood or ever will be ones and burdens of war. Secretaryid the proudly serve in the military for many years, enduring many hardships, but he and his incredible wife karen have borne hardshipe most painful of them all, the loss of their son robert in service to our country. Robert died fighting the enemies of all civilizations in afghanistan. Heather, k, andrea, the entire kelly family kate, andrea, and the entire kelly family, today, 300 million american hearts are joined with yours. We will grieve with you. We honor you, and we pledge to you that we will always remember robert and what he did for all of us. Thank you, john. The kelly family represents families across the country who carry the burden of freedom on their shoulders. His soninlaw jake, a Wounded Warrior and the secretarys son johnny will soon leave on his fifth deployment. It is because of families like yours that all of our families can live in safety and live in peace. To every gold star family who ,onors us with your presence you lost sons and daughters, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers. They each have their own names, their own stories, their own beautiful dreams. But they were all individuals angels sent to us by god, and they all share one title and common, and that is the title of hero. [applause] real heroes. They were here only a brief time before god called them home. Their legacy will indoor forever. Forever. Dure general beauregard once said the soldier called to give his life for his country is the noblest development of mankind. Here at this hallowed shrine, we honor the noblest among us, the men and women who pay the ultimate price for victory and for freedom. We pay tribute to those brave souls who raced into gunfire, roared into battle, and ran into hell to face down evil. Not made their sacrifice for fame or for money or even for glory, but for country. We are privileged to be joined today by a man whose life demonstrates the values of service and sacrifice. Senator bob dole, here with his wife senator elizabeth dole. [applause] President Trump senator dole fought bravely in world war ii and was severely wounded by german fire. In just a few weeks, bob will be celebrating his 94th earth day. Var. S 94th birthday and, bob, i know i speak for millions of grateful americans when i say thank you. Thank you, bob. We thank you not only for your us toe, but for helping remember your fallen comrades and the countless american patriots who gave the lives in the second world war. Since the first volley of gunfire in the revolution, brave americans in every generation dutyanswered the call of and one victory for freedom. In its hour of need. Today, a new generation of american patriots is fighting to win the battle against terrorism , risking their lives to protect thatitizens from an enemy uses innocents to wage war on humanity itself. We are joined today by the wife of specialist christopher moore, who rests on these so beautiful grounds. As jane tells us, chris was a man who loved his country with his spirit. F he listed in the oklahoma Army National guard. He trained as a sniper, becoming known as one of the best shots anywhere at any time. He was a talented, tough guy. Well chris was in the national was while chris was in the national guard, he was also a volunteer police officer. He thought everything about how he could serve god, serve his family, and serve his country. In 2011, he deployed for the first time to afghanistan. Chris his job was one of the most dangerous there was. He was determined to go after the enemy at any cost to himself. His missions targeted and killed destroyts who sought to innocent people. Just three months into his first of, chris was near the pakistan , trying to eliminate an enemy cell that was doing so much damage, and that was planting deadly roadside bombs and manyis unit others. Standing watch with his comrades, he died in the ensuing gunbattle with enemy forces. Life tocrificed his protect his fellow soldiers and to protect all americans. He was awarded the purple heart and bronze star for his courage. At only 26 years old, chris secured his place in our hearts for eternity. America grieves with you. Our whole inside her nation sends you our support, our strength, and our deep, deep love. You lost your husband, and america lost the hero. , we will preserve his memory. Today, tomorrow, and always. Thank you, jane. [applause] President Trump thank you, jane. Thank you, jane. Thank you, jane. We are also joined today by david and rose byers, the parents of major andrew byers. As a boy, andrew dreamed of the chance to attend the United States military academy at west point. He worked hard. He earned that chance. And he graduated at the top of his class. A became the commander of special halo team, leading his fellow soldiers out of aircraft, hurtling into dangers and unknown territory. Year,this time last andrew was sent on his third combat deployment. This time, he went to afghanistan. 3, he was one of 10 special forces operators to land by helicopter near a taliban safe haven in northern afghanistan. They trekked through a mile of deep mudp mud waist and climbed steep cliffs before reaching the village they wanted to reach. There, a nightlong battle ensued. Offew and his team fought wave after wave after wave of in the fighters. A grenade detonated. As the taliban begin to surround the american and afghan forces, andrew ran through the smoke and through the hail of bullets, to rescue an afghan soldier, in the midst of this torrent of gunfire in danger, andrew worked heroically to open a gateway and get his men to safety, risking his life to save theirs. And he did it. Unbelievably, he did it. But in saving those lives, andrew was killed. Right then and there, bike enemy fire. Been awardednce the silver star for gallantry in battle. To his parents, we stand in awe of your son and his courageous sacrifice. All behalf of the American Express our everlasting gratitude for what your son did for his country, for his comrades and for all of us. Andrews father has said he holds on to the promise of verse nine. The lord, your god, will be with you wherever you go. Thank you. Thank you. [applause] President Trump thank you. What a man he was. To every gold star family, god is with you, and your loved ones are with him. They died in wars so that we could live in peace. I believe that god has a special place in heaven for those who laid down their lives so that others may live free from fear and this horrible oppression. Now let us pledge to make the most of that freedom that they so gallantly and brilliantly fought for and they died to protect. Let us also pledge to tell the stories of robert, chris, andrew, and all of americas fallen warriors today and for the next 1000 years. [applause] President Trump and while we cannot know the extent of your pain, what we do know is that our gratitude to them and to you is boundless and undying. We will always be there. Thank you. [applause] their stories are now woven into the soul of our nation, into the stars and stripes on our flag, and into the beating hearts of our great, great people. Today we also hold a special vigil for heroes whose story we cannot tell because their names are known to god alone the unknown soldiers. We do not know where they came from, who they left behind, or what they hoped to be. But we do know what they did. They fought and they died in a great and noble act of loyalty and love to their families and to our country. The letter written that is now famous one Civil War Soldier captured it all and for all time. He wrote to his wife, if i do not return, my dear sarah, never forget how much i love you, nor that when my last breath escapes me on the battlefield, it will whisper your name. That is the love we hear whispering throughout this sacred place and from every tombstone on these hallowed grounds. It is the love that binds this earth beneath us and it bleeds from the hearts of all of those who died so that we might live free. We can never replace them. We can never repay them. But we can always remember. And today, that is what we are doing we remember. Words cannot wipe away the tears are bring back the smiling faces. But if americans just take the time to look into your eyes and tell you how much we thank you and how dearly we pray for you and how truly we love you, then hopefully, you can find solace through your pain. And every time you see the sun rise over this blessed land, please know your brave sons and daughters pushed away the night and delivered for us all that great and glorious dawn. Thank you. God bless you. God bless our fallen heroes. God bless their families. God bless our military. And god bless the United States of america. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the playing of taps and the benediction. Almighty and merciful god, grant to all of us grace, peace, and a strong recollection of this National Memorial day observance. May the memory of this sacred place among americas sons and daughters be etched into our hearts and always cause us to be thankful for their blessings and their sacrifices. They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor of the years condemn them. With the sun,wn in the morning, we shall remember them. Ladies and gentlemen, please remain in place until the president has retired has to parted and the has departed, and the colors are retired. [applause] tomorrow on cspan, a look at the politics and security of the asiapacific region and tensions on the european peninsula, live from the institute for strategic studies. He am on, a simpler School Integration since brown versus the board of education. The landmark 1950 force a print Court Decision that found state laws establishing separate schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. Live coverage from the Thurgood Marshall fund tomorrow at 1 15 p. M. Eastern on cspan. It resulted in a naval victory for the u. S. Over japan just six months after the attack on pearl harbor. And friday, American History tv will be live all day from the macarthur memorial visitors in 5ththern virginia for the 7 anniversary of the battle of midway. The five star admirals who won r at sea. Anthony telly, coauthor of shattered sword the untold story of the battle of midway, and timothy or, coauthor of aver call me a hero legendary american dive bomber pilot remembers the battle of midway. Watch the battle of midway 75th Anniversary Center live from norfolk, virginia, on friday, beginning at 9 30 a. M. Eastern on American History tv on the span three. We want to welcome den caldwell, the director of policy for the concerned veterans of america. We want to talk about a piece you wrote for the hill. Money cannot buy via a reform. By Veterans Affairs reform. Has received mass budget increases on terrorglobal war began in 2001. Under the obama administrationing saw the