Washington : The US President Barack Obama called the fallen US soldiers “a debt we can never fully repay” during a visit to the Arlington National Cemetery.
Commemorating the Memorial Day, a day to honor those who have sacrificed their lives while serving in the US military, Obama on Monday laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.
“It is a debt we can never fully repay,” Xinhua quoted Obama as saying, “but it is a debt we never stop trying to repay, by remaining a nation worthy of their sacrifice. By living our own lives the way the fallen lived theirs- – a testament that greater love has no other than this than to lay down your life for your friends.”
The President noted that this is the first Memorial Day in 14 years that has been observed without US forces engaged in a major ground war. Obama praised American soldiers for their “honor, courage and selflessness” in every war, from the Revolutionary war against Britain to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It is also reported that this is the first Memorial Day ceremony since the end of the ground war in Afghanistan, where more than 2,200 American soldiers died since 2001.
Nearly 10,000 American troops are set to remain in Afghanistan into 2016, fulfilling what the administration called “non-combat roles”, such as coordinating drone strikes and training Afghan security forces.
“We’ll continue to bring them home and reduce them to embassy presence by the end of next year, but Afghanistan remains a very dangerous place,” Obama said.
Defence Secretary Ashton Carter and Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey also spoke at the event.
On May 30, 1868, the first official Decoration Day was declared by General John A. Logan and observed at Arlington National Cemetery. During World War II, the Day was expanded to an renamed Memorial Day to honor all Americans who died in military service.
The day which is remembered on the last Monday of May, has become a national holiday since 1971.