(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel lead the US in honoring fallen soldiers during a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday.
Fresh off a surprise trip from Afghanistan, Obama laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
In his remarks afterwards Obama called the lost soldiers, "patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice." He reiterated, "May God Bless the fallen and all those who have served and watch over their families." First lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, also attended the ceremony.
This morning Hagel, a veteran himself, released a statement to commemorate the Memorial Day holiday and said, "Memorial Day offers each of us a moment to quietly reflect on the more than 6,800 members of the Armed Forces who gave the last full measure of their devotion over the past 13 years of war. As we honor their service and sacrifice" Hagel affirmed, "The spirit of those who sacrificed so much lives on in each of us - and we will never forget them."
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