Vice President JD Vance on Monday heralded the ultimate sacrifice made by U.S. military service members, saying Americans owe it to them to make the country better.
In a video posted on X, Vance recognized the loved ones left behind by those who fought and died while serving the United States.
“Every time somebody goes overseas and sacrifices their life, every time that a person gives the ultimate sacrifice to the United States of America, we often read about it as a line on the newspaper or online, but there's a father, there's mother, and there's grandma and aunts and uncles and a whole crew of people who love them the same way that we all love every single member of our family," he said.
“You consider the balance that all of us owe," he added. "Because on the other side is we have to meet their sacrifice by carrying something forward that they can't carry forward. We have to make this country worthy of that sacrifice.”
Vance spoke about making the country's fractured politics “worthy of the people who put on the uniform and will never see their loved ones again.”
“Part of what we have to do, my friends, is every single day we have to send people to Washington who wake up every single day and recognize that they fight for you," he said. "That's how we honor this sacrifice.”
The Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation on Monday hosted its annual tribute on the National Mall to honor those who died during the brutal conflict.
The event featured a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Korean Veterans Memorial to pay tribute to the millions of Americans who served and the nearly 40,000 who lost their lives in the conflict.
"We're here... to respect the bravery of this who died during the Korean War," said Ret. Army Gen. John Tilelli, the board chair of the foundation. "But we should not lose sight of the fact that everyday, we have men and women who are serving our country anywhere the nation asks them to go for a cause that's greater them themselves that they're willing to die for."
Tilelli also cited the U.S.-South Korean alliance that came out of the war.
"What it has done for over 70 years... they maintain peace and stability and deter aggression on the Korean peninsula," he said.
President Donald Trump honored Gold Star families during Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery, thanking the loved ones of fallen U.S. service members for the sacrifice they continue to carry.
“God bless our fallen heroes,” Trump said. “We’re joined today by some of those they left behind — our incredible Gold Star families, incredible people. To every person here and across America who holds tight to the memory of a warrior taken from them, we will never, ever forget the ones you loved."
Trump asked Gold Star family members to stand and "receive our thanks," thanking them for having given "everything” so the country could endure.
{{#rendered}}President Donald Trump used his Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery to link the sacrifices of fallen U.S. service members to America’s upcoming 250th anniversary.
Trump said the nation must first honor those who died defending the country before celebrating its founding and independence.
“Before we hail the founding, we honor the fallen,” Trump said. “Before we celebrate the triumph, we pay the tribute. Before we crown the victory, we count the cost.
“Today, we are reminded that there could be no Fourth of July without America's armed forces, and there could be no Independence Day without Memorial Day.”
Trump also thanked Gold Star families and said the country will “never, ever forget” the loved ones they lost.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and War Secretary Pete Hegseth honored fallen U.S. service members during Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery, paying tribute to Gold Star families and the “13 souls of Epic Fury.”
Caine said Memorial Day is “not a single date on a calendar” for Gold Star families, but “literally every single day,” adding that the names of fallen troops are “woven into the fabric of the story of our nation.”
Hegseth called Memorial Day a solemn occasion to remember America’s “fallen warriors,” from past generations to the 13 service members killed in Operation Epic Fury.
“May we live lives worthy of their sacrifice and boldly carry forth their fight for freedom,” Hegseth said. “May Almighty God bless our warriors and may Almighty God bless our fallen and those they love.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio marked Memorial Day with a tribute to the Americans who gave their lives in service to the country.
"America was built, defended, and preserved by those willing to give everything for it," Rubio, on a foreign trip, wrote on X.
"On Memorial Day, we honor the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and our freedom. We will never forget them."
{{#rendered}}War Secretary Pete Hegseth marked Memorial Day with a tribute to fallen U.S. service members, quoting Scripture and urging Americans to live in a way that honors their sacrifice.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,” Hegseth wrote on X.
“May we always live worthy of their sacrifice, honor their memory, and never forget the brave Americans who paid the ultimate price."
Chaplain Lt. Col. Kevin Trimble opened the Memorial Day program at Arlington National Cemetery with a prayer honoring U.S. service members who gave their lives in defense of the nation.
Trimble prayed for the fallen from “the fields of Gettysburg to the beaches of Normandy,” as well as Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East and other conflicts, saying their courage has been “the shield of our nation.”
He also asked for comfort for families who “still feel the ache of absence” and prayed that Americans honor fallen troops “not only with words, but with lives worthy of their sacrifice.”
“Liberty is never free,” Trimble said. “It is fought and paid for, in courage, in service and in love.”
Several members of President Donald Trump's Cabinet have taken their seats ahead of the wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington Ceremony on Memorial Day.
FBI Director Kash Patel, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard are among those seated next to the stage.
Trump is expected to deliver remarks following the wreath-laying ceremony.
{{#rendered}}Veterans are ripping Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner after resurfaced posts showed him calling the Army "full of fat, lazy trash" and mocking a soldier who was shot multiple times in combat before receiving a Purple Heart.
"I am a decorated veteran, and people need to understand what serving in the Army cost me: congestive heart failure, bilateral hearing loss, COPD, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, hypothyroidism and PTSD," Holland "Ricky" White, a Vietnam War veteran who served in the Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade, told Fox News Digital.
This is an excerpt from Fox News' Robert Schmad's report. Get the full story here.
Democrat Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner declined to apologize both to voters and a Purple Heart recipient when asked by Fox News Digital about a deleted Reddit post where he said the wounded soldier "didn’t deserve to live."
Platner did not respond at first when asked outside a market near his home whether he regrets making the post, which Fox News Digital reported earlier this week showed him mocking a video of Pfc. Ted Daniels taken during a clash with Taliban fighters in 2012 that ended in Daniels being shot four times and being awarded a Purple Heart.
This is an excerpt from a Fox News Andrew Mark Miller. Get the full story here.
Tiger Woods shared his first public statement in nearly two months with a patriotic message on Memorial Day, paying tribute to all who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Woods took to X early Monday afternoon to share his Memorial Day message, while also giving a special shoutout to his late father, Earl Woods, who served in the U.S. Army Special Forces during the Vietnam War.
"My father was a Special Forces operator with two tours in Vietnam and 20 years of service," Woods' statement on X began. "To all those like my father, we all say thank you for your sacrifices. Without them we wouldn’t have the greatest country on Earth."
This is an excerpt from Fox News' Mark Harris. Get the full story here.
{{#rendered}}New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani honored fallen service members, Gold Star families, veterans and active-duty troops during Memorial Day remarks aboard the Intrepid on Monday.
While Mamdani said Americans must remember that freedom “was won by sacrifice,” he added a call to support the veterans who have survived but are struggling in his city.
The city “cannot simply accept” that many veterans face food insecurity, homelessness and social isolation, Mamdani said, urging New York to remain “a beacon of liberty for all.”
"It is a privilege to serve those who have served, and I want to use the trust and power placed in me by the people of New York City to ensure that our veterans and military families receive the services and the support they deserve," Mamdani said in his speech.
"In the wealthiest city of the wealthiest country in the history of the world, we cannot simply accept that so many veterans must live with food insecurity, homelessness, and social isolation.
"As we mark the solemnity day of this day together and remember all those we lost, let us also rededicate ourselves to practicing the values for which they laid down their lives. Let us each do out parts to ensure that our city remains a beacon of liberty for all, where every person here can live that life. Freedom from cruelty, from oppression, and from want."
President Donald Trump is scheduled to participate in a Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony and deliver remarks at Arlington National Cemetery starting at noon ET on Monday.
The ceremony is part of a day of national observances honoring members of the U.S. armed forces who made the ultimate sacrifice.
The Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. is scheduled to host a Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony Monday afternoon, along with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and the National Park Service hosting Memorial Day ceremonies.
President Donald Trump marked Memorial Day with a morning Truth Social post honoring fallen service members, but blasted Democrats and those he said “disrespect our military.”
“Happy Memorial Day to all, including the Dumocrats, who disrespect our Military and all of the tremendous success that it has had over the last year," Trump wrote. "God Bless those that have made the ultimate sacrifice. I love you all! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
Trump’s post came as Memorial Day ceremonies were scheduled throughout the day, including his wreath-laying ceremony and remarks at Arlington National Cemetery starting at noon ET.
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World War II veteran David Yoho's blunt and emotional message for younger generations to remember the sacrifices of those who served has gone viral on social media over the Memorial Day weekend.
"Tell them about veterans and say to them that we gave up our yesterdays for your tomorrows," Yoho, who turns 98 in August, said Saturday through rain at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
"And if they say to you then, who did you hear speak these words?" he continued in off-the-cuff remarks, holding up a military salute while he held back tears as his nearly 100-year-old voice was cracking through the rain.
"Tell them it was a 16-year-old boy in the heart and mind and body of a 98-year-old veteran of World War II."
This is an excerpt from this Sunday report. Get the full story here.
Coverage for this event has ended.