Biden honors fallen soldiers during Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington
National Cemetery
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[May 28, 2024]
By Jarrett Renshaw
ARLINGTON, Virginia (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden honored fallen
soldiers during the 156th observance of Memorial Day at Arlington
National Cemetery outside the nation's capital on Monday.
Biden placed a wreath of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in a
solemn ceremony, where he was accompanied by Vice President Kamala
Harris and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
"We gather at this sacred place, at this solemn moment, to remember, to
honor the sacrifice of the hundreds of thousands of women and men who
have given their lives for this nation," Biden said afterward at the
cemetery's amphitheater.
Earlier in the day, Biden hosted a White House breakfast in honor of
Memorial Day that included administration officials, military
leadership, veterans and so-called Gold Star family members, referring
to those who have lost an immediate relative in military action.
The Memorial Day ceremony is the latest in a string of events where
Biden has focused on active and retired military personnel, including
delivering the commencement speech on Saturday at the U.S. Military
Academy in West Point, New York.
Next week, the president will travel to Normandy, France, to participate
in ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. He is
expected to give a major speech about the heroism of Allied forces in
World War Two and the continuing threats to democracy today.
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U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a wreath-laying ceremony at
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a National Memorial Day
Wreath-Laying and Observance Ceremony at Arlington National
Cemetery, in Washington, U.S., May 27, 2024. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/May/28/images/ads/current/guzzardos_lda_GENERIC_040524.png)
Thursday will mark the ninth anniversary of the death of Biden's son
Beau, who served in Iraq as part of Delaware's National Guard. Beau
died from glioblastoma, a highly aggressive form of brain cancer
that his father believes was possibly a consequence of exposure to
military burn pits in Iraq.
"This week marks nine years since I lost my son, Beau," Biden said.
"Our losses are not the same. He didn't perish on the battlefield.
He was a cancer victim.
"The pain of his loss is with me every day ... so is the pride in
his service," the president said.
On Memorial Day, each grave site at Arlington will have a small
American flag carefully positioned exactly one boot’s length away
from the headstone. The flags were placed by 1,500 soldiers from the
Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, better known as The Old Guard. The
regiment has carried out the tradition, known as “Flags In,” just
before Memorial Day every year since 1948, when it was designated as
the Army’s official ceremonial unit.
(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Mark Porter)
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