US honours fallen service members

Thousands attend one of nation's largest Memorial Day observances

ARLINGTON:

President Donald Trump honoured the nation's fallen service members on Monday during a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, delivering a sweeping tribute to generations of American troops who died defending the country and its ideals.

Speaking before veterans, active-duty military personnel and Gold Star families near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Trump reflected on the role American service members have played throughout the nation's history.

"From 1776 to 2026, America has always stood as a great and moral cause," Trump said. "Our warriors are no mere mercenaries, they are guardian angels who stride across the battlefields of history and stand watch over the highest and most beautiful planes the human spirit has ever seen - holding the line between liberty and tyranny, between civilization and barbarism, between good and evil."

The president continued by honouring those who died in combat across generations of American conflicts.

"Wherever the American Soldier walks, wherever he fights ... and wherever he falls, he does it for the destiny of a nation like no other ... and for the fate of Freedom on this earth," Trump said.

Trump also delivered a solemn reflection on the sacrifices made by fallen troops, calling their service the foundation of the nation's continued freedoms.

"We honor those who fell so that our Republic might stand, those who died so that our nation could live, those who gave up their sacred light on earth so that the sublime light of American freedom would shine forever and ever," he said.

The president participated in the traditional wreath-laying ceremony alongside senior military leaders and administration officials before observing a moment of silence as Taps echoed across the cemetery grounds.